Memorial Day 2016

A big thanks to all who defended our freedoms. These particular WWII markers reside in a small cemetery in Lisbon, Iowa. While the property is small in size one of the cemetery's military heroes had been featured in my blog previously, Orian Owens as well as the Gettysburg battlefield boulder.

Memorial Day 2015 - Czech National Cemetery - St. Wenceslaus Gym Cedar Rapids, Iowa

A Memorial Day service from the Czech National Cemetery held due to weather at the St. Wenceslaus gym in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, May 25, 2015 at 11:30 a.m.

Memorial's Decoration Day - Iowa Veterans Home

Observance of Memorial Day began as Decoration Day in the South following the Civil War. Today this granite statue of that conflict stands in series of tributes to the Spanish American War and World War I at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa. To all who served, thank you.

Cedar Rapids Memorial Day Observance 2013

I have never attended a Memorial Day ceremony. In the past the 42N team has traversed cemeteries and parks on Memorial Day to see flags and people but never actually attended a live event. That changed today. Cedar Rapids' Metro Area Veterans Council Memorial Day Event was conducted at the ice arena because of rain in the forecast. Inside the lobby were hundreds of people, many of them elderly, dressed in attire identifying themselves as U.S. veterans.

Master of Ceremonies, Cary J. Hahn (news director at radio station KMRY) and a U.S. Navy veteran spoke about the occasion and introduced speakers. The one hour event was broadcast live on 1450 KMRY.

The guest speaker was U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Mike Brown (retired.) Mike was a certified B-52 bombing and navigation systems technician and served in Desert Storm with the 806th Expeditionary Bombing Wing. He spoke of the service of his father, the loss of his friends and colleagues during a B-52 explosion and the war-readiness condition his units maintained during the height of the cold war with the Soviets.

The New Horizons Band played Sousa marches and other patriotic music before during and after the ceremonies. Poignant portions of the ceremony included playing each service's theme. Mr. Hahn asked members of the audience to stand as they heard their service music. Veterans of the Navy stood when 'Anchors Away' was played, then the Air Force, Army and Marines stood in succession upon hearing their songs. Hahn recited a portion of the poem, 'In Flanders Fields' as the band played. The reading brought tears to many people.

Today's ceremony included a volley salute from the Marine Corps League, who stepped outside the door to fire their weapons before taps was played. Many audience members consisted of veterans, their spouses and children. While this group represented each branch of service, missing were various segments of ordinary citizens. While the few hundred person turnout didn't phase the vets the most important issue was remembering those who did serve and lost their lives so that freedom and liberty can remain cornerstones of our lives.

Memorial Day 2012 - Mount Auburn, Iowa

Mount Auburn, Iowa is a small farming community situated close to the Cedar River in northern Benton county. Monday's stiff westerlies made for iconic flag flying on Memorial Day. Situated among the veterans buried at this rural cemetery are two military displays. One memorial is a stack of bowling ball size cannon balls located at the base of the tall flagpole. The other display is a more modern howitzer artillery piece. Both displays inspire us today to remember veterans and their sacrifice.

A Look at Memorial Day 2011 in Iowa

Every veteran's grave site is marked with a flag at the Iowa Veteran's Home Cemetery in Marshalltown, Iowa on Memorial Day 2011.

American flags fly on display in the stiff wind at the National Cemetery near Vining, Iowa. Know that.

Memorial Day 2010: Keokuk National Cemetery

Iowa's only designated national cemetery is located in Keokuk, at the extreme southeastern tip of the state, on the Mississippi River. The town served as a staging point for upper Midwest Union soldiers massing for transportation south during the Civil War. During that era, Keokuk hospitals were built to serve the wounded from the Union and prisoners from the Confederate States of America (CSA.)

When soldiers of either side died at the medical facilities their bodies were interred at what became the Keokuk National Cemetery - one of twelve original national cemeteries designated by the U.S. Congress.

During this Memorial Day weekend US flags and a couple dozen or so CSA flags were placed at Civil War era soldiers' graves. The cemetery serves as the final resting place for some 4000 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel from other military conflicts (Spanish American War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War and Iraq) and peacetime service. Each grave received a US flag also. 

A ceremony honoring all veterans was held yesterday near the Civil War area of the cemetery. Sunday was the original Decoration Day meant to honor Civil War dead, then later changed to a Monday and called Memorial Day to honor the American military fallen from all eras.

Today's warm weather brought people to pay respects to their military family members and friends.

Many visitors walked to a particular grave or along the long rows of identical white marble markers to get a sense of who fought for this country's freedom. 

While the Keokuk National Cemetery represents a formal resting place for the nation's military dead and their spouses there was yet another location nearby that brought the idea of sacrifice and service into immediate focus.

Just a couple of miles to the east of the cemetery is the Mississippi River. A massive bridge spans the river connecting Iowa to Illinois. Under the bridge on the Iowa side is the George M Verity River Museum just a few feet from the mighty Mississippi. Along the rip-rap rocky shore are places where people fish or sit to watch the river.

By the museum I spotted a small vinyl American flag and went to investigate. Anchoring the flag is a square wooden piece of driftwood. On the board, was a message written in pencil from a daughter to her father, who passed away ten days ago on May 21st in Utah.

The daughter's father was a three time World War II ace pilot who served in Europe flying P-51 (Mustang) against Germany. He was shot down twice and was rescued by the French and Belgium underground. He returned to the States following the war, completed college, and went on to invent and improve processes in the commercial sector of construction. He will be buried in Utah.

Whether a grave marker is made of white marble and is part of a dedicated military cemetery or a memorial tribute constructed of simple materials, the sentiment is the same - honor those who protected this country. Know that.

Memorial Day 2009: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The remembrance of Amercian war dead is celebrated annually as Memorial Day. One of the many ways in 42N country that the sacrifice is remembered is through the small scale version of an Arlington, Virgina sculpture. Outside of the Cedar Rapids' Veterans Memorial Building is the United States Marine Corps War Memorial portraying the flag raising on Iwo Jima from World War II.

This sculpture (above) is based on the one that Felix de Weldon designed for display half a continent away. The Cedar Rapids' version was prepared in 1960. Directly behind the flag raising diminutive is the illumination side of the stained glass window designed by Grant Wood. The story tall window, designed in 1928 was damaged during the 2008 flood (June 2008) and is being studied for repair.

As millions of Americans enjoy a long holiday weekend the words on the statue's base reflects the sentiment of sacrifices made by the men and women of our military.

"Our finest tribute to their valor will be the quality of our own lives." Know that.