It was “All for one, one for all” Tuesday morning outside the Mower County Government Center in downtown Austin.

A new Mower County veterans transportation program van was put into service.

It’s for veterans and most of the $24,103 state purchase price came from veterans.

Dave Tollefson, 5th District county commissioner and chairman of the county board, accepted a set of keys to the seven-passenger 2009 Dodge van from Fritz Krebsbach, commander of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter No. 27, the largest individual donor to the purchase of the vehicle.

“We were part of the heroes of the fundraiser,” said Krebsbach, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War. “All the different veterans organizations and auxiliaries, as well as many other veterans, helped out.”

Tollefson expressed the county commissioners’ appreciation to the veterans’ organizations for donating money for the van replacement.

From the start, the project had the support of everyone a year ago.

Jim Goudy, past-commander of American Legion Post No. 91 donated proceeds from the first-annual Lenny Miller Memorial Czech dinner at the Legion Post to the fundraising cause.

Bob and Colleen Weimer donated a substantial sum of money in honor of Mrs. Wiemer’s brother, killed during the Vietnam War. Donations, large and small, were given.

When it was over, Wayne Madson, Mower County veterans service officer, said it was, indeed, an “all for one, one for all” project.

The veterans organizations and auxiliaries included: American Legion and Auxiliary, Post No. 91, Austin; American Legion Post No. 105, Lyle; American Legion Post No. 140, Grand Meadow; American Legion Post No. 146, Adams; American Legion Post No. 161, LeRoy; American Legion, Spam Post No. 570, Austin; Veterans of Foreign Wars and Auxiliary, Post No. 1216, Austin; Disabled American Veterans, Chapter No. 27, Austin; Sons of the American Legion organizations and “veterans for veterans.”

“It’s a wonderful program,” said Krebsbach, “and we’re proud to be part of it.”