Retired GBPD detective and Sons of the American Revolution member planning America 250 celebrations

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - A local Green Bay retiree is becoming very busy.

He is actively working on plans at both the state and local levels, all while continuing his work to keep the history of America’s patriots alive

Bob Haglund is not wearing a costume; it is a uniform, one he proudly wears to carry out his duties as a member of the Hendrick Apaumut Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, duties that are expanding as we rapidly approach America 250.

“It’s an exciting time for us because this is what our Patriots fought for: to form this country,” says Haglund

This retired Green Bay Police detective and Command Sgt. Major is also the only SAR member to be part of the state’s official America 250 commission, which was formed by the Wisconsin legislature just over 4 years ago.

Haglund is also serving on Green Bay’s 250 committee, which was formed because he told Mayor Eric Genrich about what he was working on at the state level.

“The mayor latched on to this and formed this 250 committee that has just grown with the parks department on Broadway, downtown Green Bay, the library, the university, different bands, all of this together so that the celebration at Lights Park will be a little more robust, I guess you would say,” says Haglund.

But on this day, we meet Bob at Thelen Park in Kaukauna.

His chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution is named after Captain Hendrick Aupaumut, a member of the Stockbridge tribe, who fought with the Continental Army and was later honored by George Washington.

“According to the tribe, he’s buried, him and Jacob Konkapot, who’s also a tribal member who fought in the revolution, are buried someplace. This was Thielen’s farm, and they were buried someplace on here while the tribe still had it, and then it became a farm and now a city park. But nobody knows exactly where they’re buried here,” says Haglund. “The man is absolutely amazing.”

Aupaumut was college-educated and served as a statesman negotiating with other tribes.

He was the man who led his tribe from New York to settle in NE Wisconsin, near present day Stockbridge, Kaukauna, and to the current reservation near Bowler.

He is one of 4 native American Revolutionary War patriots buried in NE Wisconsin

“All of the patriots buried in this area are Native Americans. And this is where they are. So we have on our website to where you can go on there and you can click, and it will show you every Patriot buried in the state and where they are located,” says Haglund.

The Sons of the American Revolution keep this history alive by visiting schools, planting Liberty Trees like the one for Captain Aupaumut in Thelen Park, and by working on the America 250 committees and commissions.

“Now we educate kids, we serve our communities, we bring a pride of service to the communities, and educate the future on this. So it’s a big deal for this,” says Haglund.