Salute to Veterans

Join us as we salute our Veterans at the SD State Fair!

This year's keynote speaker is Susan Irons. She graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1989 and was commissioned as a Signal Corps officer. Her assignments included service with the 18th Field Artillery Brigade and the 50th Signal Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the 123rd Signal Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, in Kitzingen, Germany. A veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, she was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and earned the Senior Parachutist Badge.

After completing company command in Germany, Susan returned to her hometown of Canton, South Dakota. Following years of volunteer service in her community, she found her professional calling as the Lincoln and Union County Veterans Service Officer, helping veterans and their families understand and access the benefits and services they earned. Recognizing the impact of knowledgeable, trusted veterans services, she advocated for and established the Veterans Services program for the West Point Association of Graduates, which she leads today. Through this work, she provides education, guidance, advocacy, and connection for West Point graduates and their families at every stage of military and civilian life.

Susan and her husband, Keith, an Army veteran, have five children. Three are currently serving in the Army, including their oldest daughter, a West Point graduate stationed in Germany, and their son and daughter, who enlisted after high school. Their oldest and youngest sons are pursuing careers in agricultural business in northern South Dakota.