Meet Dave “Granny” Granlund, Our December Veteran of the Month [WATCH]

Meet former Army medic Dave Granlund from Elk River, MN. He’s our December Veteran of the Month. Granlund was nominated by his best friend Gary Nelson who had this to say about him:

“He deserves this award because he is the most deserving veteran I know. He served as a medic during the Vietnam War. Granny is a sportsman. He faithfully served his country in one of the most difficult times.”

Granlund is often times called by his nickname, "Granny." He says it's a name he got in elementary school. " He was drafted into the United States Army in 1969. After Granlund completed his basic training he was sent on an airplane to Vietnam where he served as a medic.

"Back then everyone was getting drafted, so you were pretty sure your number was up."

Granlund was about 20 years old at the time. He recalls, "a good friend of mine--him and I got on the bus at the same time in Elk River. We went down to the draft center." Granlund said once he got to the center, they were all asked to count off by ones and twos. All of the ones were told to step forward--they were now US Marines.  The rest of the group joined the US Army.

Granlund served his country for a year in Vietnam before returning home to the United States. He said that it was hard coming home to a country that was divided in their support. When asked how many lives he saved as a medic in Vietnam, Granlund said there's really no way of knowing, "It was a lot."

Since then, Granlund has remained active with his local VFW chapter. He continues to go by  his nickname, "Granny," but his wife Paula says he'll always be Dave to her.

Thank you so much for all you've done for our country! You're truly a hero and inspiration to us all.

Brought to you in part by: