MEMORIAL DAY, LE MARS, IA, MAY 2008
Our family attended the Plymouth County "Avenue of Flags" ceremonies on the courthouse lawn, May 26, 2008. It was a beautiful, crisp morning--the large crowd in attendance enjoyed the warm sunshine and patriotic atmosphere. I will include parts of the "Memorial Day Program" flyer provided to the crowd. ~Photos submitted by Linda Ewin Ziemann
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~Ronald Reagan, President of the United States
Avenue of Flags Honors 1,060 Veterans
39 Veterans on the Flag Roster Were Killed in Service
28 Additional Veteran Flags Were Dedicated
The names of those 28 soldiers are: Richard Albert, Joe Barger, Robert Bitterly, Leslie Bunt, Ervin C. Criswell, Pierce "Pitts" De Jong, Donald L. De Lair, Robert M. Drennen, Paul Emery Dull, Thomas Jay Dull, Thomas F. Gaul, Kenneth Hathaway, Wesley W. Heidbrink, Jim Jennings, Roger Ladenthin, Richard Francis Langel, Raymond S. Lee, Andrew Dale Lehner, Paul Meylor, Thomas L. Mitchell, Harvey H. Prieksat, Aloysius T. Rolfes, Edward E. Steele, Harold Stream, Mark David Tanner, Mark Treinen, Kenneth M. Vance, George W. Wright.
Program Note: There will be no fly-over by the 132d Fighter Wing of Des Moines because of deployments.
Above watching the Presentation of the NEW flags for 2008. There were 28 more flags dedicated this year.
An additional flag was dedicated this May for veteran, Richard Albert. The flag is being carried by Richard's son, Larry, with the family assisting in the presentation.
Richard E. Albert, veteran WWII, 1924-2007
Wreaths were presented and placed on white crosses for each of the wars, the last one presented was for "Post Vietnam Conflicts & Wars."
Daily Sentinel, LeMars, Iowa Tuesday, May 17, 2008
Service Honors Soldier who Fell 40 Years ago
By Amy Erickson, Staff writer
First Lieutenant Corbin Clark Tindall was killed in action on April 12, 1969. He and other members of the Armed Forces were honored Monday at The Avenue of Flags Memorial Day Program in LeMars, at the Plymouth County Courthouse. Tindall and his unit’s service were recognized during the ceremony as this month is the 40th anniversary of their mobilization, May 13, 1968.
A soldier of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 133rd Infantry, of the Iowa Army National Guard, Tindall was a graduate of Akron High School and Westmar Colllege. He and his wife, Avis, farmed in rural Akron when he was called to active duty. Adjutant Tom Baack, of the American Legion Wasmer Post #241 in LeMars, told the crowd Monday that nine members of Company A had flags dedicated to them flying at the Plymouth County Courthouse. Tindall, who also had a flag, was the only member of Company A to be killed in Vietnam. He was mortally wounded in combat operations with hostile forces just 49 days after arriving in the country, Baack said.
To honor Tindall’s memory, Baack shared how a soldier who dies on the battlefield is remembered by his fellow troops. A nontraditional funeral ceremony includes a rifle with a fixed bayonet, a pair of combat boots, a set of dog tags and a helmet. “The rifle symbolizes the firepower of the individual troop,” Baack said. “It is his voice in battle, his burden, his savior and the ultimate weapon to win, to survive.”
The bayonet is fixed in place on the battlefield where the fallen soldier lies to mark his final resting place. His boots are placed nearby and his dog tags hang from the rifle as they hung from his neck, Baack said. “Upon the rifle rests the helmet,” he said. “As it rests on the rifle, it is transformed into a memorial, not of marble or granite but yet a memorial to a life given in service to his country.”
As Baack explained the process, each item was set in its place as it would be on the battlefield in front of a photograph of Tindall, allowing the crowed to picture the ceremony.
Monday’s Memorial Day program also recognized other veterans like those with continuous 50- and 60-year membership in the American Legion. Sixty-year members include Rudy Adler, Leo Flaherty, Emil Grosenheider, John Hart, Julian Hart, Ronald V. Kelly, Richard Masuen and Gordon L. Mennen. Fifty-year members include Ed Bergin Jr., Edward A. Kilker, Roman Langel and Jack McDougall.
This Memorial Dedicated To Honor FRED RITER, who originated the "Avenue of Flags" at the Plymouth County Courthouse on Memorial Day, 1964.
Dedicated Memorial Day 2004, the 40th Annniversary of these ceremonies
