Minnesota says ‘thank you’ to vets and their families

Minnesota said ‘thank you’ to veterans and their families on Friday night.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Marine Corps Four-Star General Jim Mattis was the keynote speaker at the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund Dinner in Bloomington. Last week, the MMAF quietly awarded $12.5 million in free grants to more than 18,700 veterans, simply as a ‘thank you.’

So far, the organization has raised nearly half a million dollars, hoping to honor more than 20,000 service members that would be eligible for their grants.

"There is nothing else like the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund in the country," said Roger Sit, chairman of the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund. "We are the only state in the union that has this."