Guardsman killed in helicopter crash honored in post office rededication ceremony

AVON — Warrant Officer Kort Plantenberg, who died in the 2019 helicopter crash with two fellow Minnesota National Guardsmen, used to mail packages to brothers-in-arms in Kuwait from the Avon post office.

After a ceremony Thursday that included top military brass and state and federal lawmakers, the building will forever be named for him. A plaque bearing Plantenberg’s name will be mounted in the entryway after Congress voted in December for the change. The plaque replaces one that is original to the building’s construction in 2000 which dedicates it “to public service.”

Plantenberg’s life was also dedicated to serving the people around him, according to speakers at the ceremony Thursday morning. He joined the National Guard in 2016 and was deployed to Kuwait aiding in medical evacuations. Before that he was a correctional officer with the Stearns County Sherriff's Department and he also worked as a lifeguard, National Ski Patrolman and worked with the county water patrol.

“He was one of those individuals always willing to help friend and family and ddeply cared about the wellbeing of others,” Plantenberg’s father, Stephen Plantenberg, said. “... From a very young age, Kort found his own way to incorporate his passions with his commitment to the service of others.”

Kort Plantenberg was a crew member on the Dec. 5, 2019, flight that killed him and pilots Chief Warrant Officer James A. Rogers Jr. (28), of Winsted, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord (30), of Perham. An Avon native, Kort Plantenberg graduated from Albany Area High School in 2009 and joined the Guard in 2016. He was a member of the Minnesota National Guard biathlon team and was preparing to start the state warrant officer program and flight school before the crash. He was awarded the rank posthumously.

Avon Mayor Jeff Manthe spoke at the ceremony and called Plantenberg “a friend to everyone.” He said several people knew Kort Plantenberg as DeWalt because of his handiness with tools and hard work ethic.

A meditation by John Henry Newman is inscribed on Kort Plantenberg’s tombstone and on a memorial bench at the crash site memorial near Kimball. It describes service in the way he thought of it, according to Kort Plantenberg’s father. The meditation was also read at the dedication.

“He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another,” it reads. “I have my mission — I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.”

Renaming a post office requires an act of Congress and the signature of the president. House District 6, which previously included Avon, representative Tom Emmer (R) introduced the legislation that is cosponsored by every Minnesota representative. An identical bill was introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) and sponsored by Sen. Tina Smith (D). The post offices in Winstead and Perham will also be renamed Rogers and Nord.

Emmer and current Avon representative Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-7) spoke in person at the ceremony at the post office Thursday. Klobuchar spoke via phone. Emmer called Kort Plantenberg “a true Minnesotan” and said filing the legislation was “a no-brainer.” He was proud of the bipartisan support for the bill, which passed unanimously.

“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see Kort’s hometown finally have a permanent reminder of him and his service,” Emmer said.

Fischbach agreed, adding “we can never do enough to honor” Kort Plantenberg.

“You can tell that he loved his friends and his family and they loved him, because of the turnout today,” she said. “I look around and I see so many people and I saw so many hugs and well-wishes before the ceremony started so you can really feel that.”

Stephen and Laura Plantenberg, Kort Plantenberg's mom, said they knew nearly all of the several dozen people gathered for the dedication ceremony. Laura Plantenberg said she regulary uses the post office and the rededication had not quite sunk in.

They said it is easy to take for granted the quality of life in central Minnesota, but that they “hit the jackpot” in living in Avon. Thousands of people attended Kort Plantenberg’s funeral and several memorial ceremonies following the tragedy. The Plantenbergs stayed for more than an hour after Thursday’s ceremony visiting and thanking members of the community.

“We all have a mission in our lives,” Stephen Plantenberg said. “I share (Newman’s) reflections as all of our hearts should be filled with gratitude for the privilege of being here in this moment. It is imperative that we honor all that have and currently serve our country and community.”

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Avon post office renamed for Kort Plantenberg, who died in helicopter crash