VanderMolen installed as first female commander

Rick VanderMolen (left) and Kathy (Siverling) VanderMolen celebrated Kathy’s recent appointment as commander of the Cadott American Legion May 2. Kathy is the first female commander of the post, while Rick vacated that position to become the Chippewa County commander. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

Making history, Col. Kathryn “Kathy” (Siverling) Vander-Molen has returned to her roots, after serving in active duty and with the Army Reserves for 34 years. Moving from a full colonel to vice commander of the Cadott American Legion, Kathy has one more title to her credit.

“I will be the first female commander of the American Legion here in Cadott,” she said. “It is pretty cool.”

Kathy was installed as the post’s commander May 2, taking over for the former commander, Chief Warrant Officer Rick VanderMolen, who happens to be her husband. Rick was recently elected as the Chippewa County commander of the American Legion, after three years, as Cadott’s commander.

“It’s not so much eligibility, as it is your leadership style,” said Rick of the appointment.

The Cadott commanders seem to go far in the Legion organization, as former post Commander Mike Riedel was elected to be the county commander, then recently moved into a district position. With his former position vacated, Riedel nominated Rick to take his spot to be responsible for seven posts in the county.

“It’s opened a lot of doors and I meet a lot of very good veterans,” said Rick.

While Kathy was born and bred in Cadott, graduating from there in 1975, before seeing the world in the Armed Forces, Rick was raised on the West Coast, spending 21 years in the Army.

The couple are both members of Cadott’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, with Kathy serving in Desert Shield and Rick spending time as part of Desert Storm. After that, Rick served in a capacity that saw him coordinate 800 full-on funerals a year, including Ronald Reagan’s funeral with his wife, Nancy.

Rick said something like that took a lot of coordination, as did the two inaugural parades for Pres. Bill Clinton.

“Every animal that went down that parade route, I was responsible for the animals and the riders, to make sure the animals were housed – and [had] food,” he said.

Kathy also had an interesting life in the military, serving as an emergency planning liaison officer, where she reported to the governor in Nevada. Before that, she was the battalion commander for the Command General Staff College, where they taught senior captains and majors.

Rick and Kathy met in 1986, at Fort Eustis, Va., when they were neighbors, and after they retired from their respective branches of the military, they made the move to Cadott, where they’ve immersed themselves in helping not only veterans, but their community.

“To give back to our country,” said Rick. The couple want people to know the Legion is vibrant and alive, that they do missions and serve the community. If people need help, they can turn to the Legion for the resources and contacts.

“We’re doing what we can for veterans,” said Kathy.