Farm Bureau salutes Idaho veterans

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

POCATELLO – It was standing room only Nov. 6 during the 14^th Annual Farm Bureau Salute to Idaho Veterans, which honors U.S. military veterans for their service and sacrifices on behalf of the nation.

Farm Bureau Insurance Co. of Idaho employees work with local veterans groups to organize and host the event at Farm Bureau headquarters in Pocatello. Farm Bureau leaders say it’s the highlight of the year for the company’s employees.

“To our veterans, to our active-duty military, to our Guard and Reserve members, and to our military families: thank you,” FBICI Senior Vice President of Underwriting Lisa Barber told this year’s participants. “Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your service.”

“Military service reminds us that freedom has never been something we should take for granted,” she said. “Those freedoms are part of our everyday lives, which sometimes makes it easy to forget just how extraordinary they are. The men and women of our armed forces remind us. May we never become so accustomed to our freedom that we forget those who defended it.”

The event, which is attended by hundreds of veterans and their families, is held before Veteran’s Day so it won’t interfere with the events held on that day by veterans’ organizations.

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation President Matt Dorsey, a Canyon County farmer, told participants he was humbled and honored to attend the event.

“Please accept this program with our gratitude for your sacrifices, and your families’ sacrifices, while you served our great country,” he said.

The half-day event includes a flag ceremony, a guest speaker, a free veteran group photo and individual photos for each veteran, and a complimentary Salute to Idaho Veterans commemorative coin.

“We hope every veteran who joins us leaves knowing that their service is remembered and appreciated,” said Todd Argall, CEO of Farm Bureau Insurance Co. of Idaho. “One of the things I value most about this event is the opportunity to meet our veterans in person, shake their hands, and thank them personally for what they have done for all of us.”

This year’s guest speaker was U.S. Army Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Salvatore “Sal” Giunta, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan in 2007 when his unit was ambushed.

According to his event bio, “Under intense enemy fire, he moved to aid his wounded squad leader and continued forward with his team to reach other wounded soldiers.”

When he discovered another soldier had become separated from his unit, “Giunta advanced alone and saw two insurgents carrying the wounded American away. He engaged the enemy, killing one insurgent and wounding the other, then provided medical aid to his fellow soldier until his squad arrived.”

Giunta became the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan and the first living service member to receive the honor since the Vietnam War.

During the Salute to Idaho Veterans event, Giunta described himself as “about as average as they come. But average people can do incredible things when they don’t care why it’s being done. It’s about who it’s being done for.”

“It's truly magical for me to stand here because I know why I stand here,” he told fellow veterans. “I stand here because of all you that came before. All of you that set the standard; upheld the standard.”

The three winners of Farm Bureau’s statewide Veterans Day essay contest for Idaho students – “What my family member’s military service means to me” – read their winning entries during the event.

“I am very proud of my family’s service,” wrote sixth grader Jocelynn West of Lewiston, who won the 1^st through 6^th grade contest. “It means the world to me that my father risked his life for our family and others. What my father did for our family is beyond love. He risked his life, career and strength for us and even lost his best friend.”

Hayzlee Howell, a seventh grader from McCammon who won the 7^th-9^th grade category, wrote, “My family’s military service means so much to me. It shows me that my family roots come from hard working, very brave people. I am very grateful to have such brave people that fought for my future.”

The winner of the 10^th-12^th grade contest was Pocatello senior Brooklyn De Los Reyes, who wrote that her father’s service “has taught me some of my most important life lessons and has given me gratitude to all the other veterans of our country. I am incredibly proud of my father and all of his accomplishments throughout his military career … I could never thank him enough for his sacrifices, his strength, and the lessons his military service has taught me.”

“These young people are amazing,” Barber said. “They give me hope because they know what this is about.”

Dorsey said one of the reasons Farm Bureau places a very high value on honoring military veterans is because a lot of farmers and ranchers are veterans themselves.

According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, there were 43,333 total agricultural producers in Idaho during the 2022 census year. Of that total, 3,662 were military veterans.

That means roughly 8 percent of Idaho’s farmers and ranchers have served in the U.S. military, either in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines or Coast Guard.

In a recent column, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said USDA data shows that 15 percent of America’s farms have at least one farmer with military experience.

“As Veterans Day approaches,” he wrote in a Nov. 4 column, “I’m reminded of how much we owe the men and women who have defended our freedoms. As the father of a veteran, that gratitude is personal, just as it is for every military family in our great nation. Across farm country, we also see that spirit of service at work as veterans care for the land and communities they call home.”

FBICI spokesman Mike Myers said the event truly is one the company’s employees get excited about hosting each year.

“The Salute gives us an opportunity to personally thank veterans for their service and remind them that their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated,” Myers said. “It’s a privilege to bring veterans together each year, hear their stories, and simply spend time honoring the people this event is all about.”