By Stan Stelter
Bismarck, ND – It's called a Postcard from the Prairie -- a very large postcard that is going from North Dakota to New York City.
It's in the form of a 50-foot banner, and it's from local policemen, firemen and patriotic citizens of Bismarck and Mandan. Along with donations, this huge postcard will soon be delivered to the city of New York and the thousands of victims of the terrorist attacks.
This weekend the Missouri Valley Fraternal Order of Police will hang the banner in Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck, hoping to get fellow North Dakotans to sign and donate to help the victims. Local police lodge president Barry Mayher says 100 percent of the donations will go to the aid of the victims.
"All the proceeds and the postcard will be sent to New York. The monies will be going to the families of the police officers and firefighters that lost their lives in the Sept. 11th tragedy."
The banner expresses sympathies -- and heartfelt thanks from local policemen and firemen to their fellow professionals in New York. This is Mandan policeman Patrick Haug:
"I think it's one of the best things we can do to show New York .. the police officers there, the firemen there that we appreciate the sacrifice that they made out there. This is just a small (memonto) to them for what they did. I mean, the nation mourns, and we along with them. And we feel, myself as a police officer, that I want to help their families the best I can."
Gov. John Hoeven and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem became the first signers of the banner today, and urged others to join in signing and contributing.