JEFF CAPLAN'S MY MINUTE OF NEWS
Jeff Caplan’s Minute of News: Alex Pretti’s “final salute” to US veteran
Jan 26, 2026, 8:18 PM | Updated: 8:34 pm
A portrait stands at a memorial for Alex Pretti on January 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA medical center, died on January 24 after being shot multiple times during an altercation with U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Eat Street district of Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen, Getty Images)
(Stephen Maturen, Getty Images)
Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.
It’s a tradition that not many Americans know about. When a U.S. military veteran dies at a VA hospital, the staff will gather in a hallway and before the body is wheeled away, one of the veteran’s caregivers will offer a final salute.
Terry Lee Randolph is one such veteran. He passed away last month at a Minneapolis VA hospital. His body covered in a white blanket emblazoned with the U.S. Air Force seal, staffers gathered in a circle. This was the final salute to Terry Randolph. The voice you hear is ICU nurse, Alex Pretti.
(Video courtesy: Mac Randolph)
Alex Pretti was shot dead by ICE agents Saturday morning, on a cold Minneapolis street. Within two hours, the White House labeled him a domestic terrorist.
They say he brandished a gun, attempting to inflict maximum damage and massacre law enforcement. In the video of that incident, you see what you see, but Air Force veteran Terry Lee Randolph’s family released this video of the final salute you just heard. The family released that video so that we’d all know Alex Pretti was a compassionate caregiver to veterans of the U.S. military.
Jeff Caplan is the host of Jeff Caplan’s Afternoon News on KSL NewsRadio. Follow him on Facebook and X.
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