COLERAINE — When the construction of the new Itasca County Justice Center caused the removal of several downtown buildings, Vietnam veteran Kenny Clafton wanted to make sure that one specific door was saved from the rubble. That door was once the portal to the Redding Bus Depot.

According to the VFW No. 1720 Auxiliary, many of those who walked through that door were bound for military service, especially in the 1960s and ‘70s during America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
Lisa Randall from the Auxiliary and local Vietnam veteran, Dennis Jerome (better known to KAXE listeners as “DJ the DJ") joined Sarah Bignall and Chris Walker on the KAXE Morning Show Thursday, Sept. 21, to discuss the door and what it means.
“I think the biggest significance is that passage through the door and returning not the same person,” Jerome said. “I was an innocent, wide-eyed boy from the Midwest, and boy, I lost my innocence when I entered the military.”
The Itasca County Historical Society worked for several years to collect local veterans’ stories. The society notes there were eight Itasca County veterans killed or missing in action during the Vietnam conflict: Robert Anders, Richard Antonovich, Norris Brenden, Ronald Fraser, Lauren “Renny” Huerd, Richard Koski, Dennis Smith and Ronald Zemple.
There are nine window panes on the bus depot door, and eight of the panes will include information about each of these men. The ninth will tell the story of the door and what it represents. Organizers noted America’s veterans may not have walked through that specific door. But each one walked through a door — or many doors — on their way to begin their service or ultimate sacrifice for the country.
“I think the biggest significance is that passage through the door and returning not the same person."Dennis Jerome, Vietnam veteran
The door will be dedicated 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Hodgins-Berardo Arena in Coleraine. The public is encouraged to attend. There will be a social reception to follow at the Locker Room Bar in Coleraine. After the door’s dedication, it will be on display at the VFW Post No. 1720 in Grand Rapids.
-
And: Bemidji State commits to global scholar community amid student visa rhetoric.
-
Services for the cooperative's all-fiber optic network expansion are expected to be available by winter.
-
The appeals court ordered a reversal, agreeing that evidence shown to a jury and submitted by Beltrami County prosecutors was inadmissible.
-
April was National Poetry Month. This week, our Question of the Week asks about your favorite poems and poets.
-
Molly Rocchio from the National Bone Marrow Donor Program joins the KAXE Morning Show to talk bone marrow and blood stem cell donations. People like KAXE’s Malachy Koons are donating and making a difference.
-
During the Phenology Report for the week of April 29, Staff Phenologist John Latimer covers bud break, incoming and outgoing birds, eagles nesting and more.
-
News Director Chelsey Perkins catches up on what's happening in St. Paul with Report for Minnesota student journalists Yvette Higgins, Sam Siedow and Elias Thomas.
-
In spring, eggs have been collected at Cut Foot Sioux walleye spawning site in Deer River, MN, since the 1920s. Fertilized eggs are transported throughout the state.
-
Plus: How precincts within Senate District 6 voted in the special election; and area robotics teams head to the MN state competition.
-
Chastity Brown returns to Northern Minnesota for Get Downtown with KBXE on Thursday, May 1, 2025.