Dear Friend,
To observe Memorial Day is to call to mind the collective memories we share of those Americans who sacrificed everything for our country and our freedom. These individuals were everyday Americans – our friends, our family and our neighbors – who took on extraordinary challenges and made the ultimate sacrifice.
They did it because it was right. They sacrificed because they wanted a brighter future for every single one of us. They did it because they knew in their hearts that the United States of America – this great experiment born in liberty and justice – was worth giving everything they had.
If we don’t remember them, who will?
Iowa’s proud history is full of heroes who served our country stretching all the way to the earliest days of our state. Every major America conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries has born witness to ordinary Iowans making extraordinary sacrifices. On Memorial Day, I think it’s appropriate to take a few moments to recall some of these great patriots who fell in the line of duty.
Merle Hay is a name familiar to virtually everyone who has lived in the Des Moines area for any length of time because of the road and landmarks that have been named after him. Hay grew up in Glidden and served in the trenches of France after the U.S. entered the Great War. In the early morning of November 3, 1917, German forces raided Hay’s trench. He fought valiantly with his bayonet in the dim light provided by flares, but, when the Germans withdrew, it was discovered that Hay was among three American casualties.
Darrell B. Lindsey, a native of Jefferson, led a formation of 30 B-26 bombers on a mission to destroy a strategically important enemy-held railroad bridge in France two months after D-Day in 1944. His bomber encountered fierce anti-aircraft fire, and his right engine took a direct hit before the bombing run could be completed.
Lindsey continued to lead the formation toward the target. Only after the bombing run had been completed did he order the crew of the aircraft to parachute to safety. With no regard for his own life, he held the doomed plane in a steady glide long enough for the rest of the crew to jump. Before he could evacuate, however, the gas tank exploded and his plane crashed. He was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor for his selfless heroism.
Sergeant First Class Junior D. Edwards, an Indianola native was also awarded a posthumous medal of honor. After serving in World War II, he later re-enlisted in 1947. His platoon was ordered to defend a strategically vital high ground in Korea in early 1951. The platoon was forced out of its position by withering enemy machine-gun fire. Edwards individually charged the hostile position with grenades three times. His third charge enabled his platoon to regain its vital position on the high ground, but the final daring assault also resulted in Edwards taking mortal wounds. Without his heroic sacrifice, an entire corps of South Korean troops likely would have been captured by communist forces.
Then there’s 2nd Lieutenant Robert J. Hibbs, a graduate of Cedar Falls High School and the State College of Iowa. Hibbs received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Vietnam. While commanding an ambush patrol in a dense jungle area, Hibbs learned that a wounded American soldier was stranded between the two opposing forces. Although he was near safety, he refused to leave a man behind. Hibbs and another of his comrades attempted to rescue the stranded soldier. While his partner dragged the wounded man back toward friendly lines, Hibbs laid down suppressing fire. He was eventually struck down and succumbed to mortal wounds.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaime Jaenke died in June 2006 when her Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in the Al Anbar province in Iraq. A native of Iowa Falls, Jaenke was the first Iowa woman to lay down her life in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Army Sergeant Brent Maher, of Honey Creek, Iowa, made the ultimate sacrifice in April 2011 when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. Both Jaenke and Maher left behind young children. Their stories remind us that the families of fallen servicemen and women must also bear a heartbreaking burden and are equally deserving of our thanks.
While we remember and honor the fallen Iowans I’ve just mentioned, we must also note that the pain that many veterans go through does not end on the battlefield. Their sacrifices can follow them and their family the rest of their lives.
The ones that support our veterans deserve a special thanks. Most of us continue to thank a uniformed soldier for his or her service. We also must thank a spouse, parent, child or sibling for their great sacrifice. Often times it is the family member that must continue to hold the memory of their fallen loved ones. This burden can follow family for a long time and that is the purpose of a Gold Star.
This Memorial Day, I want to take a moment to remind you what a Gold Star represents.
The U.S. Army has created a wonderful resource—not tied to any particular non-profit or advocacy group—to help explain the gold star to the public through a series of public service announcements and video vignettes. I invite you to visit www.goldstarpins.org to learn more.
No one has done more for the cause of freedom than those who gave up their lives in the service of our nation. Veterans died because they selflessly assumed the responsibility of defending the United States of America. Because of that, it’s our responsibility to make sure they are never forgotten. It is also our responsibility to continue to provide for veterans and their families that carry the scars of battle for a lifetime.
Because if we don’t take the time to remember and care for our veterans and families, who will?
Best Wishes,
