Serving as the keynote speaker for yesterday’s Veterans Day program at the Iowa Veterans Home (IVH), Brigadier General Mark Kappelmann engaged with attendees and threw out a challenge to identify what “NSDQ” stands for as it relates to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR).

One man stood up and told him “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.” In response, Kappelman gave the man one of his own coins, delivered by Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Commandant Todd Jacobus. Drawing a round of laughter, the man then joked “NSDQ” also stands for “Non Stop Dairy Queen.”

“That coin does not come without strings,” Kappelmann responded. “I have at least one person in the crowd who will swear this is the best speech he’s ever heard.”

He said the Veterans Day speech is difficult, because how does someone do it when the crowd is made up of veterans.

“What can I tell you that you don’t already know?” Kappelmann asked. “You have served and sacrificed with what is the best of America.”

Roughly 170 attendees gathered yesterday in Malloy Hall heard him speak about his time in the service. He recalled how he had gotten home from flying at around 4 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001. Kappelmann was asleep when terrorists flew airliners into the World Trade Center in New York City. He quickly learned about what happened when his sister called and woke him up.

The following November, Kappelmann was in Uzbekistan with the 5th Special Forces Group which was in the beginning of the war with Al-Qaeda and Afghanistan.

“By January of 2002, I was the senior Army aviator in Bagram, Afghanistan with four of our . . . helicopters, and we were the only aircraft ever stationed there in Bagram,” he said. “Many of you may be asking yourselves right now, ‘What on earth is a 28-year-old captain who just graduated from training doing as the senior guy in charge there in Bagram in Afghanistan?’ I still am asking myself that same question – where was the parental supervision?”

His unit chased Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, through Tora Bora until March 2002, when Operation Anaconda occurred. It was the first large-scale battle in the War in Afghanistan. Kappelmann said the story was told in the book, “Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda” by Sean Naylor.

Years later, Kappelmann returned to Afghanistan and participated in Operation Red Wings. He said people might recall the Marcus Luttrell story in which 19 service members were killed, including eight Night Stalkers. That story was told in the book “Lone Survivor” by Luttrell and Patrick Robinson.

Another book he told the crowd about was “Razor 03: A Night Stalker’s Wars” by Alan Mack. The title was Mack’s call sign during Operation Anaconda, Kappelmann said.

“I flew with Al during Operation Red Wings,” he said. “Al and I were the first aircraft to launch when Major Steven Wright’s aircraft was shot down. I make an appearance or two in this book under [a] pseudonym.”

While he did not have time to regale attendees with all of the stories from those years with SOAR, Kappelmann wanted to donate all three books to IVH with the hope that the veterans will read and enjoy them for years to come.

He ended by telling the veterans regardless of the unit they served in, the job they performed or the rank they achieved, they are all special.

“Your willingness to . . . put your life on the line for your fellow Americans is what made you special,” Kappelmann said. “I thank you for your service, your resilience, your unwavering commitment to the mission and one another.”

Kappelmann, who is from Decorah and is Director of the Joint Staff for the Iowa National Guard, joined the military in 1991 as a cadet at West Point before graduating in 1995 and being commissioned as an aviation branch second lieutenant in the United States Army. He has been deployed to Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq and spent more than 11 years flying with SOAR. During his military career, Kappelmann was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Medal.

A surprise speaker also showed up for the program yesterday and spoke before Kappelmann – gubernatorial candidate Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa). Standing at the podium, he reflected on the meaning of Nov. 11, Veterans Day.

“Our veterans, all of them, deserve all of our appreciation not just one day of the year but all 365 days of the year,” Feenstra said. “They have all fought to protect our freedoms, defend our flag, ensure our nation remains free and never seek recognition or praise, and for that, we can never truly repay you.”

It is important to ensure the veterans receive high quality healthcare, which is something the State of Iowa has provided, he said, and referenced the “gold star” standard of care at the Iowa Veterans Home.

“Ensuring we support our veterans with the best healthcare and services that we have to offer is a top priority for our country, for our state and for myself,” Feenstra said. “It must be a promise that we always honor.”

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.