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La Porte City's Veterans Tribute: Character, Honesty and Integrity

By TPR News Desk, 06/22/2009

Located at the corner of Chestnut and Main in La Porte City, the Veterans’ Memorial Tribute stands in remembrance of those who have proudly served their country. In addition to the beautiful monuments that grace the Tribute, a walkway of specially engraved bricks serve as a personal memorial to the service men and women with a special connection to the community. On June 20, 2009, the Veterans’ Tribute was formally dedicated and presented to the City. Illustrating the local commitment the community has, and continues to have in service of our nation, each branch of the armed forces was represented in the ceremony, the excerpts of which are presented on these pages for our readers. -MW

Wilbur Engelkes: Memorial is an Amazing Tribute to Veterans

I wonder how many of you have given a thought to why you are standing here in La Porte City this morning.  I’ve put down some of the reasons that I’m here.  I went clear back to December 7, 1941.  I was listening to the Bears game on the radio when they announced the bombing at Pearl Harbor.  The next day my brother John enlisted in the Navy for four years. And the other brother, Jim, enlisted in the Air Corps for four years. 

I was only a junior in high school, so I was a little younger. We graduated in 1943... Finally, on September 19, I was in Des Moines for a physical.  I was about to be ushered out the door because of my bad eyes, when the Navy guy said, “Hey, we’ll take him!” and they put us in a special assignment group. 

We were supposed to relieve the guys that were physically fit so they could go overseas or on board ship.  That lasted about a year. I was in boot camp, hospital corps school, and [spent] about nine months on the east coast at the Naval hospital at Newport, Rhode Island. 

Then the next thing you know, they forgot about that special assignment and we were on board ship heading for where, we didn’t know. We ended up on Guam, and in about three months time, with the help of the Seabees, we built a thousand bed hospital. It had twenty buildings with about 50 beds in each one.  We were ready to do whatever they wanted us to do. 

On about April 1st, or soon thereafter, we invaded Okinowa, the Marines and the Army.  Lots of wounded people were headed for our hospital.  Most of them just had arm or leg wounds and they were soon healed and headed back their outfits. 

The next invasion, on Iwo Jima, brought more of the same, more wounded to our hospital on Guam.  Thank goodness it wasn’t long after that the war ended.  They closed our hospital, sent us to another hospital on Guam, and now the long time trying to get enough points so you could go home. It took me until May of 1946 before I finally had enough points before I could finally get discharged. 

In closing, I want to say, what these young veterans have accomplished to show the world what can be done as a tribute to all veterans of this area is really amazing and they deserve our thanks for what is being dedicated today.  Thank you.

Dolores Bader: “An Open-Air Classroom”

As an individual and as a member of this community, I want to thank the Legion and the VFW and every person who helped bring us to this moment. This is a beautiful tribute to all who have served their country and to those who still do.  It is a daily reminder that freedom often costs dearly.  But this memorial is more than a tribute to the past. It is a open-air classroom where any and all can stand for a few minutes, read the words engraved on the stones and walk away renewed in mind and heart.

Again, let me say thank you to the VFW, thank you to the Legion, thank you to every person who helped make this dream come true, and a special thank you to Oleen Arenholz who creates beauty wherever she goes.

Garrett Gingrich: Veterans’ Steadfast Commitment Secures our Freedom

Good morning. I’m Captain Garrett Gingrich. My current position is Commander of Company C, 1st Battalion 133rd Infantry out of Iowa Falls, Iowa Army National Guard. As for my civilian career, I’m a Firefighter/Paramedic with Waterloo Fire-Rescue.

I’d like to thank Troy [Lewis], the American Legion and the VFW for giving me the opportunity to come here and speak to you all.

The roots of my family are here in La Porte City, they’re in Dysart and they’re in Mt. Auburn. So this is a very special opportunity for me to come back here and share my thoughts with you about the sacrifices of veterans. It’s a very special honor for me.

I’m proud to say that my roots are from here and I’m proud to be part of La Porte’s steadfast commitment to honoring veterans. This commitment has been and will be something that will endure forever.

To be among so many veterans and to be here together to honor those that can’t be here is very significant to me. So thank you for giving me this opportunity to share this day with you, and the opportunity to speak about my reflection about service to country.

I’d like to introduce a few very special people that came here with me today. My fiancée, Angie… served six years in the Army and was deployed to Afghanistan as a Surgical Technician. She’s now serving as a Covenant Operating Room Nurse.

My parents, Craig and Deb Gingrich, are here. They’ve always put an emphasis on service and taught my brothers and I to embrace the military service for what it was- men and women willing to sacrifice of themselves so that we can enjoy what we have here today. I can only imagine they gained those ideals by growing up in families that endured World War II firsthand. Both my grandfathers were veterans and thoughts of them are always on my mind. They’ve made me the person I am today. Their values about service have become my own, and I’m thankful for that. My Grandpa Sam served in France in World War II and my Grandpa Howard was a B-17 Army Air Corps Gunner. He lost his older brother, Don, in a mid-air collision over the Atlantic Ocean.

We all have memories and stories that inspire us, as Americans uphold their legacies. The sacrifices they’ve made are breathtaking. I believe in the meaning of remembrance for special reasons and I like to share the stories of just a few people of personal significance that I hold close to my heart on this day. Maybe this will cause you to think of those special individuals in your life, or maybe the events that have happened in your past that you know you’ll never forget over a lifetime.

Today is a day that we continue to recognize those who have sacrificed, and continue to sacrifice for us, for our country, and for freedom and democracy. I believe it’s a sacrifice, above all, that distinguishes the men and women that serve their country. Whether they had intentions to go to war or not, many have gone forward and served their nation. They’ve given of themselves for the greater good of our nation. These are the men and women that have fought to establish our nation, the men and women that have gone to fight to improve and preserve life all over the world, and preserve our way of life here at home.

Today, thousands of men and women… are leaving home to fight the war on terrorism, to fight an unknown enemy, and to fight a hatred with the sole purpose to defeat our free way of life. This fight and war today remains a fight of Good versus Evil. And we are the Good because we stand up against dictators and extremists who work to empower the state at the expense of the individual. While we gather here today and celebrate our freedom, millions of people in Iran are crying out for freedom. While they’re government assemblies chant, “Death to America,” they’ve endured a false election, and have been silenced, oppressed and killed for wanting a sliver of what we enjoy here today.

We as a nation should have pride that we’ve taken the fight to stomp out terrorism where it exists, because I have no doubt, in my mind, these extremists desire to come in our homes and kill us where we live. Having personally seen the hatred that exists, we cannot afford to lose. If this war has a significance, it escapes most Americans today. It really is a fight to preserve our way of life and advance the cause of freedom.

Unfortunately, too many in our society embrace false idols. Celebrities even label them heroes. Far too many Americans go through their life not knowing or embracing the true significance of our military service members. With modern-day conveniences and the rush of everyday life, we lose sight of why we’re so blessed to live here in America. We must guard against becoming a hedonistic society with self-absorbed, materialistic people. Instead, we need strong families where character, honor and integrity are the values we appreciate. The most important things in life aren’t things.

A glimmer of hope in our national treasure is our troops, past and present. Our daily freedoms are afforded to us by those who have gone, and continue to go, and serve. It is a small percentage that is willing to give of themselves and serve this wonderful nation called America.

[General Douglas] McArthur said it best when he quoted, “The soldier, above all people, prays for peace. For they must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”

The soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen are the heart and soul of our freedom. And they understand what war is. Thousands have given the ultimate sacrifice since our nation was founded. We owe them so much and we must never forget them.

So what are the wounds and scars of war? I believe it’s being gone from everything that we Americans hold closest to our hearts, our loved ones. It’s putting one’s life on hold. It’s being gone from happiness and enduring hardships that you had no idea you would, or ever could, endure. It’s gaining and developing friendships and bonds with comrades that could only be forged in combat, then dealing with the sad reality that they’re gone forever. To me, that is what sacrifice is. Mostly it’s the men and women that dream every day of that time when they can come home to their families to live, love and be happy in the existence they have fought and sought to secure. The ones that never get to realize that dream are the ones I want to remember.

Being home almost two years now, there are some individuals that I will never forget. [Spc.] Kampha Sourivong and [Staff Sgt.] Scott Nisely were in my platoon overseas. Kampha was 18 years old and just learning to be a man. He loved rap music, fast cars and his family. He was a son of a Vietnamese immigrant. He was young, impressionable and not the hard-charging soldier Americans picture fighting a war. Honestly, most people would think he was more attuned to the opposite of a soldier. However, he was a good man; honorable and was one of the bright spots Americans can take solace in, because his pride in country and sense of service was very strong. In that aspect of his life, he was wise beyond his years.

Scott Nisely was one of my squad leaders of whom I considered a personal friend. He embodied the American soldier to me. I looked up to him… because he was the perfect family man, wise and strong in his faith. He was an active Marine Corps Major and a Company Commander in the first Gulf War who was pushed out of the Corps in the 90’s when the military was cut back. He took a large reduction in rank and came into the National Guard as a Sergeant. I think he could have fought to be an officer again but he just wanted to be with the other men. He brought wisdom and guidance to me, almost like a father figure. While deployed for training, his daughter, Sarah, moved up her wedding date so her father could walk her down the aisle before he went overseas, just in case he didn’t come home. Kampha and he were killed September 30, 2006 in a firefight in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. I will never forget them.

Paul Darga was a Navy Chief Petty Officer that worked in the most dangerous profession overseas; Explosives Ordinance Disposal – EOD. I did not know him. But in his duties, he showed up to help my company so that we could continue our mission. We had to stop and wait for an IED to be disposed of before continuing our mission. He was killed by that IED on August 22, 2006 in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. I found out later that he had just been sent to Iraq on his last tour before he could retire. He has a wife and three year old daughter that live in Michigan.

These are the individuals that I have a special place in my heart on this day. I will never forget them and the impact that they’ve had on my life. They are real American heroes.

These stories are not unique. They have been happening all along, ever since America sent away their best in the cause of freedom… These men and women have given their lives to the cause of freedom and we must never forget them. I will always have a place in my heart for them and thank them every day.

You’re all here to honor those service members, past and present, that have sacrificed to preserve freedom. Many of you here today, have made that commitment, and your commitment to your country is just as steadfast today as it was then. Thank you for your service. And thank you for making America the greatest nation on earth. I do not believe one day a year is enough appreciation for all of you. We need to thank you every day and thank those who have gone before every day. Every day we have the opportunity to spend time with our families, drive through the beautiful Iowa countryside and live here in the greatest place on earth… is truly a gift we should never take for granted. Thank you again for inviting me.

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