Marathon Pundit: Iowa I Opener: Freedom Rock and Veterans Day

On Veterans Day I do a post tied to Morton Grove's Doughboy Monument. But after I encountered Freedom Rock near Menlo, Iowa in August, I knew I had to post about it on November 11.

Every May since 1999 for Memorial Day, Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II repaints the 56 ton, 12 ft boulder that was removed from a nearby quarry. Like similar rocks, it was a graffiti target. But Sorensen changed that.

Click on any image to make it larger.

By the way, how can you not like an artist named "Bubba."

Above the soldier is a prayer written by Eleanor Roosevelt:

Dear Lord,

Lest I continue
My complacent way,
Help me to remember that somewhere,
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?

On another side of the rock is Glenn McDole, an Iowan was was one of the few survivors of the World War II Palawan Massacre, an atrocity I was unaware of until I visited Freedom Rock.

This side of the rock honors last fall's overseas deployment of 3,500 members of the Iowa National Guard, the largest call of of Iowans since the Second World War. Most of them are serving in Afghanistan. Notice the Iwo Jima image next to the cornfield--above the tribute to Vietnam War veterans.

Americans of all faiths defend for our great nation, including Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Read more about Khan here.

Freedom Rock is four miles south of Interstate 80 on State Route 25.

UPDATE 10:45AM CST: Other Veterans Day tributes are below:

Radio Patriot
Backyard Conservative
ThirdWaveDave
Flamingo91
Stix
Respublica
Blackfive

Related posts:

Veterans Day, 2009
Veterans Day, 2008
A lesser-known Muslim who served in the US Army

Earlier posts:

More Effigy Mounds
Effigy Mounds National Monument
Pikes Peak
Buffalo Bill

Technorati tags: