A Fairchild woman who won a national essay contest will donate her five thousand dollar prize to the Highground Veterans Memorial Park near Neillsville. Charles Kaufman, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard, was killed by a car bomb in Iraq back in June of 2005. His mom, Celeste Kaufman wrote a 250 word essay about their last Christmas together and learned this week that she had won.
Kaufman wrote about Charles' last trip home before his death, where an unfortunate accident turned into a golden opportunity for the family to spend time together. She plans to donate her winnings to the Highground . Kaufman is a member of a committee developing a Persian Gulf Tribute, that will honor the veterans of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war in Afghanistan.
