Description:
Superb nonfiction from a Vietnam medic! The story begins with Strusinski sharing memories of his early days as a boy growing up in St. Paul. It quickly transitions to the day he received a letter that changed everything.
Brief description: Bill Strusinski has 49 years of state government lobbying experiences. Early in his career, he served in a variety of positions in the Executive Branch, including Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner of Administration. He served three Governors, including Wendell Anderson, Rudy Perpich and Al Quie. He was also responsible for the day-to-day operation of the agency and was the Governor's lead advocate to secure legislative funding support for over $1 Billion in state capital investment projects. Since his early days in State Government, Strusinski has developed expertise in building and construction regulations, government finance and tax policy, public health policy, capital investment (bonding projects) and business regulation. He continues to work extensively with the major business regulatory (commerce), legacy, environment, finance, capital investment and tax committees in the legislature and understands their impact on small business and individuals. Strusinski formed his own public policy firm in 1981 and has been advocating on the behalf of good public policy development as a lobbyist since that time. He has received numerous awards recognizing his professional abilities, including being named as one of the top ten lobbyists in Minnesota by the Star Tribune newspaper. He says what he enjoys most about lobbying is empowering people and using his rich experience and contacts in the public and private sectors to successfully represent his clients. Bill Strusinski and his wife, Kirsten Libby, make their home in Scandia, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities.
Review Quotes:
"Bill Strusinski did his duty and then went on to be the kind of citizen we wish we had more of in our country. He is not asking for thanks or anything else except, after 50 years, the chance to tell this remarkable story. We owe him, and his combat colleagues our thanks, our apology, and our respect. The hundreds and hundreds of us who have known him in the fifty years since he became a civilian have known that he is an exceptional man. Now we know what he has been through. Our respect for him was high before we knew his story. Now we continue to respect and enjoy him on a whole new level. Everyone who respects America and what we stand for will benefit from this book and will get an understanding of the warriors who have made our country great."
-Harry Sieben, Jr., Major General (ret) (bvt), Minnesota National Guard