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Omaha restaurant changes 'ranzas' to 'bunzais' after Runza complains

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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

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Omaha restaurant changes 'ranzas' to 'bunzais' after Runza complains

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The bao buns at Koji, an Omaha restaurant, drew the attention of the legal team at Runza National Inc. because of the name owner David Utterback originally gave them.

Courtesy photo

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Photos: Check out our menu of Runza coverage

Runza: Runza: The story of one of Nebraska's most treasured foods (April 2017)

The number of tried-and-true, deep-rooted Nebraska food classics are few, but the ones we really love are rich with flavor. Summertime sweet corn sold by farmers from pickup truck beds. Steaks cooked to a perfect medium rare and perhaps seasoned with a secret whiskey marinade. Reuben sandwiches. And then there’s that lovable warm bun stuffed with peppery beef, wilted cabbage and long-sauteed onions, the Runza. Read more 

MATT HANEY/THE WORLD-HERALD

Runzatic (December 2017)

On a typical gameday, there will be between 10,000 and 15,000 Runzas sold inside Memorial Stadium.

'Runza romance (February 2018)

Ben Thornburg bestows his new wife, Jenna, with an onion ring at the Runza in downtown Papillion. The couple had many dates at the restaurant, where Ben once worked, and they made sure to stop by with their wedding party after their ceremony in January 2018. Read more 

CHASE VANDERVEEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Runza lover and big cabbage (March 2018)

Anna Clements loves Runza sandwiches. So when the 9-year-old received her own cabbage plant to grow last spring she was thrilled. Cabbage is one of the ingredients in the popular Midwest fare. She and her grandpa teamed up to grow the 30-pound, 13-ounce whopper. Read more 

Officer saves almost 200 Runza dessert coupons to treat kids at Lincoln rec center (May 2018)

Lincoln Police Officer Luke Bonkiewicz had a fun tradition with his two young children. On weekends, they stopped at Runza for kids meals, and each time, he received coupons for a free dessert. After three years of Runza stops, he had collected almost 200 coupons, and instead of holding onto them for his family, he decided to treat children at a Lincoln recreation center. Read more 

A Q&A with Miss USA from Papillion (May 2018)

Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers visits with Carter Kruse, 2, at Children's Hospital & Medical Center in September 2018. After being crowned in May 2018, the Papillion native gave her opinions on all things Nebraska, including Scott Frost and Runzas. Read more

KELSEY STEWART/THE WORLD-HERALD

Food fight: Omaha Runzas will face Green Chile Cheeseburgers (June 2018)

The Omaha Storm Chasers wore this jersey when the team played as the Omaha Runzas in June 2018. The game at Werner Park was part of the team’s celebration of its 50th season. The game drew positive reviews from fans of both the team and Nebraska’s beloved meat pocket. “That’s just two Nebraska classics coming together,” said fan Chris Andersen of Omaha. Read more of our preview story. 

OMAHA STORM CHASERS

Storm Chasers as Omaha Runzas (June 2018)

On June 9, 2018, the Storm Chasers took the field as the Omaha Runzas, a nod to the fast-food chain founded in Lincoln. The Runzas outlasted the Albuquerque Green Chile Cheeseburgers 2-0 in front of 6,863 on a promotional night between the two teams. Read more

CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD

Runza transit (January 2019)

What’s more Nebraskan than Runza? How about make-believe transit systems connecting Runza restaurants. University of Nebraska-Lincoln graphic design graduate Carlos Velasco, 23, created imaginative transit maps of Omaha and Lincoln where every stop is a Runza. Read more 

CARLOS VELASCO

Omaha Runzas (February 2019)

The Storm Chasers wore these Runza-inspired uniforms in June 2018. They honored the Nebraska culinary tradition again in 2019, though the hats and jerseys had a different look. Read more

CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD

Nebraska day (April 2019)

National Nebraska Day is April 5, which makes it the only day in which it's OK for you to eat a Runza, chug Kool-Aid and listen to 311 at the same time. Read more 

SportsCenter-Ronza (June 2019)

Runzas were featured in a Saturday morning segment of SportsCenter, June 8, 2019, ahead of Omaha Storm Chasers' "Runza Night" at Werner Park. One of the SportsCenter hosts mispronounced the name of the popular sandwich as "Ronza." Read more 

SPORTSCENTER

Sasse Runzas (September 2019)

After a confrontation with a protester in September 2019, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse stopped selling Runzas at Husker football games. Before the incident at NU’s home opener, he'd sold Runzas at Memorial Stadium on and off since 1983. Here's Sasse at a 2015 game. Read more 

SASSE CAMPAIGN

Eat it-veggie Runzas (October 2019)

When Runza introduced vegetarian versions of everyone’s favorite meat-stuffed sandwiches last year, we tried them out. Read our review of the two offerings: the original vegetarian Runza or the Southwest black bean vegetarian Runza.

RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD

Lincoln World War II veteran celebrates 100th birthday at Runza

Lincoln WWII veteran plans to celebrate 100th birthday with 'a Runza hamburger'

Lincoln World War II veteran Alred Zieg plays the harmonica ahead of his 100th birthday on May 31.

A local World War II veteran will celebrate his 100th birthday Wednesday, but declared this week he’s “gonna be 21 again.”

Alfred Zieg, a former first-class electronics technician in the Navy, was born on May 31, 1923, in Waco to Henry and Alma (Hinze) Zieg.

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Al Zieg, who died in April at 102 years old, served as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

JOURNAL STAR FILE PHOTO

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WWII Veteran Alfred Zieg (right) and Alma Zieg take a photo together during his first time home in a Navy uniform.

COURTESY PHOTO

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Alfred Zieg’s ship, the AGC-9, also known as the USS Wasatch.

COURTESY PHOTO

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Alfred Zieg’s ship, the AGC-9, also known as the USS Wasatch.

COURTESY PHOTO

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Lincoln-area World War II veteran Alfred Zieg celebrates his 100th birthday at Runza's 70th and Van Dorn streets location on Wednesday. 

Courtesy of Runza

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U.S. states with the most World War II veterans

U.S. States With the Most World War II Veterans

Photo Credit: Julia Senkevich / Shutterstock

With the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the U.S. entered its first period of relative peace in two decades. While the U.S. continues to engage in limited military operations in the Middle East and other parts of the world, the drawdown of major military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan closed a major chapter in the nation’s military history.

Ultimately, more than 3 million Americans served in U.S. military operations in the 20 years following the September 11 attacks. But while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan added a substantial number of veterans to the U.S. population, military service overall has become less common over time. The number of veterans in the U.S. has declined by more than one-third since 2000, from 26.4 million to less than 18 million, and that decline is expected to continue in future decades.

The U.S. population of veterans boomed in the middle of the 20th century, with the introduction of a military draft in 1940 and the beginning of U.S. involvement in World War II the following year. In 1940, only 9% of adults had served in the military, but just one decade later, that figure had more than quadrupled to 37%. Between veterans of WWII, the Korean War in the 1950s, and the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the share of adult veterans peaked at 44% in 1970. Since then, however, the share of veterans has declined each decade. The draft was ended in 1973, and over time, the aging and passing of older generations of veterans has reduced the percentage of former service members.

Shutterstock

The percentage of US veterans continues to decline each decade

When broken out by conflict, the decreases in the veteran population become even more evident. From 2010 to 2020, the total population of veterans in the U.S. declined by nearly 5 million, from 22.6 million to 17.8 million. The ranks of Vietnam and Korean War veterans each dropped by more than 1.5 million over that span, while the decline for World War II veterans totaled more than 2 million. These declines have reduced the overall population of veterans even as the number of veterans from the Gulf War and Post-9/11 wars has grown.

The total veteran population has declined by nearly 5M over the past 10 years

World War II veterans totaled around 500,000 in the U.S. in 2020, and the Census Bureau estimates that by 2030, only 8,000 WWII veterans will remain. These veterans live in every state in the U.S., but large states like California (53,807), Florida (48,220), and New York (31,730) have the largest total counts of WWII veterans. But as a share of the over-85 population, many smaller states have higher proportions of World War II veterans, with as many as 10% of their oldest citizens having served in the war.

California and Florida have the most WWII veterans

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey. To determine the states with the most World War II veterans, researchers at Porch calculated the World War II veteran share of the 85-and-over population. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater World War II veteran share of the total veteran population was ranked higher.

Here are the states with the most WWII veterans.

15. Virginia

Photo Credit: LorraineHudgins / Shutterstock

Shutterstock

14. Missouri

Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock

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13. Pennsylvania

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12. Rhode Island

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11. Nevada

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10. Delaware

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9. Ohio

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8. New Mexico

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7. Washington

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6. Idaho

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5. New Hampshire

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4. Montana

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3. Maine

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2. Utah

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1. Oregon

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Reach the writer at 402-473-7391 or psangimino@journalstar.com

On Twitter @psangimino

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