A couple things come to mind regarding our latest fish fry endeavors. I notice we were in Monroe about a month ago for a fish fry and I also notice from my humble notes, that we seem to have recently visited a gaggle of VFWs and American Legions. I seem to do that - get on a theme from time to time. We went to a bunch of Irish-esque taverns for fish frys a while back.
Regardless, this recent quest for everything fish found us at the Zilmer-Riley American Legion Post 84 in Monroe, Wisconsin. Now remember here, that their fish fry is presented by the Auxiliary Unit. I think that still means the lady Legionnaires.
Poetically, the place is a hop, skip, and a jump from the VFW Post we popped into awhile back. The Legion Post is also in the tavern district of Monroe just off of 17th Street and the railroad tracks on the near south side of town.
Just a foot note on Monroe streets. I remember all too well while working with the ambulance service up in New Glarus years back, the notorious street grids of Green County towns. Monroe and other area towns have a checkerboard street design of criss-crossing numbered streets and numbered avenues. This is all quaint until while working on the ambulance, you have to get to a heart attack patient at three in the morning and the street lights may not be working to shed light on the signs. God forbid a couple signs are ever missing.
The only emergency this fish night in question however was, what kind of beer to order with said fish. Legion Post 84 brought me back to my youth by serving up my Miller Lite in an old 8--ounce bell-topped beer class.
They tell me that every Friday, they offer a different dinner special as an option to fish. This night Swedish meat balls headed up the special. We however went for our usual fish dinners. And, a salad bar came with the deal to boot.
They offered up a neat little salad bar. A basket of fresh dinner rolls caught my eye first. I tried some of the cole slaw, fresh crunchy lettuce, macaroni salad, pea salad, and rice pudding. All these dishes were homemade, you fish people. And to top off the dandy and humble presentation, some homemade Christmas cookies sat patiently at the end of the salad bar table.
Heide tried the baked fish with melted butter. I got my usual deep fried Cod. The fish met our bar of expectations. In the spirit of the home-cooked timbre of the place, we were served up some good mashed potatoes with gravy. The waitress insisted we try the fresh green beans the cook was apparently doting over. She was right; they were good. I have always enjoyed green beans when they are cooked tender and hot. It is a taste I acquired in the Army as our ol' cook seemed to now just how to do it. Small pleasures.
After our meal we took up at one of the couple tables in the small bar. It's a cozy little narrow bar room off the banquet room. I could not help notice the small one-chair table by the window. It was neatly and thoughfully set for dinner for the military service members who have been killed on duty.
American Legion Auxiliary Unit Number 84 is cool with Cool Dadio. Find them at 1627, 12th Avenue, just off 17th Street in Monroe, Wisconsin. Call (608) 325-4244 for more information.
Note: You can find a chronological list at the Cool Dadio Media Fish Fry Page of these fish frys as we have visited them. The list presents the most recently visited fish fry at the top, in lieu of alphabetical order.
Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
(each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)
Army Staff Sergeant Jeremy Dale Vrooman, 28, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (his father resides in Superior, Wisconsin), died on Tuesday, July. 15, 2008, in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds suffered during combat operations in Kn'an, Iraq. An an improvised explosive device detonated while his unit was was clearing buildings in Kan'an in Diyala province. He was assigned to the Palehorse Troop, 4th Squadron Troop, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, based out of Vilseck, Germany.
The Web site militarytimes.com using information from the Argus Leader out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, notes Jeremy Vrooman was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to family, Jeremy had spent some time at the Custer boot camp and that stoked his interest in the military. Jeremy Vrooman attended Lennox School District for part of his junior year, with his first two years at Brandon Valley. Jeremy later received a General Equivalency Degree. He joined the Army in 1999. After receiving his military training, Vrooman was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. He served his first tour in Iraq 2003 for 12 months, driving an ammunition truck. Vrooman then spent a few months as a recruiter in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He then became a member of the Stryker unit in Germany. Using information from the Argus Leader out of Sioux Falls, the militarytimes.com Web site also mentioned Staff Sergeant Vrooman was on his second tour overseas and had only been in Iraq three weeks when he was killed. He was to end his current Iraq tour in November of 2008. Jeremy Vrooman's older brother Justin Vrooman was also in the military and served as a helicopter pilot in Iraq and had just finished a tour in Iraq when the younger Vrooman was killed.
The Web site jeremyvrooman.com deticated to information about Vrooman notes Jeremy was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on February 27,1980. Vrooman's wife Latrecia had also been in the Army.
Minnesota Public Radio notes that Vrooman lived in the cities of Sioux Falls and Mitchell while growing up in South Dakota. Family was is quoted as saying Jeremy loved the outdoors, participating in hunting, fishing, and mountain biking. Vrooman was known to be planning to make a career of the military.
The Wisconsin 2009 Senate Joint Resolution 50 notes that, "Staff Sergeant Jeremy Vrooman was awarded for his valor and leadership, and was presented with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for the lives he saved while sacrificing his own.
At the time of his death Staff Sergeant D. Vrooman was survived by his wife Latrecia; son Xavier and daughter Jade; father and stepmother Bruce and Susan Vrooman; mother and stepfather Lori and Wayne Donahue; half-sister Kierra Donahue; brother and sister-in-law Justin and Kerri Vrooman; stepbrother Brad Steckelberg; stepbrother Jason Donahue; sister-in-law Khalilah Stonum; father-in-law CB Stonum; niece Lynneigh Vrooman and nephew Noah Vrooman; uncle Loren Vrooman; cousin Amber Christensen; grandparents Dan and Hazel Vrooman; grandparents Leo and Audrey Watzek; grandmother Phyllis Brookbank; grandmother-in-law Doris Stonum; great-grandmother Helen DeYong; and, his dog, Jack. Staff Sergeant Vrooman was laid to rest at Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.
Army Staff Sergeant Jeremy D. Vrooman is the 103rd military service person that has been identified by Cool Dadio Media as having Wisconsin connections and that has died in Iraq since the Spring of 2003.
As of this blog entry's posting date:
104,308 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003 (actually documented).
10,125 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
4,487 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
1858 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
979 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
1 American/Coalition casualty in Libyan "Operation Odyssey Dawn" since March, 2011.
32,226 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
592 Wisconsin military service persons have been wounded in Iraq since Spring 2003.
15,138 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
192 Wisconsin military service persons have been wounded in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
107 Wisconsin military service persons have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
36 Wisconsin military service persons have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.
3 Wisconsin military service persons have been killed in the U.S. related to "The War on Terror" since September, 2001.
151 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
22 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since September, 2001.
5 journalists (regional and independents) have been killed in Libya since March, 2011.
Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org; Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org .
