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Floyd County Freedom Rock dedicated Sunday afternoon

  • More than 100 people gather for a dedication ceremony Sunday afternoon for the Floyd County Freedom Rock, located in Rockford. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Members of the North Iowa Detachment No. 859 Marine Corps League stand at ease after firing three rifle volleys near the beginning of the dedication ceremony Sunday of the Floyd County Freedom Rock in Rockford. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • People gather around the Freedom Rock in Rockford Sunday afternoon after a dedication ceremony, looking for family members and other recognized names among the engraved pavers surrounding the boulder. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Amy Noss reads the story behind the Floyd County Freedom Rock during a dedication ceremony Sunday in Rockford. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • More than 100 people gather for a dedication ceremony Sunday afternoon for the Floyd County Freedom Rock, located in Rockford. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Stacie and Jason Stokes and their son, Jacob, talk about the Freedom Rock and their son's involvement for an Eagle Scout project, during the Freedom Rock dedication ceremony Sunday afternoon. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Veterans and others gather Sunday afternoon in Rockford for the dedication of the Floyd County Freedom Rock. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Members of Boy Scout Troop 1034 hold flags during the dedication ceremony Sunday afternoon of the Floyd County Freedom Rock in Rockford. Press photo by Bob Steenson

  • Emcee Sandi Willman (at the microphone) introduces Stacie Stokes during the dedication ceremony Sunday afternoon of the Floyd County Freedom Rock in Rockford. Press photo by Bob Steenson

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The sky was gray, but the colors on the rock were vibrant. Parts of the ceremony were solemn, but there was also joy and celebration.

More than 100 people attended and participated in a dedication Sunday of the Floyd County Freedom Rock in Rockford.

The rock was painted more than a year ago by artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen of Menlo, who has made it both his personal goal and his profession to paint a patriotic and often military-service-themed Freedom Rock in each county in Iowa, and eventually in every state.

Over the past year the Freedom Rock Committee, Boy Scouts and others have helped landscape the area around the huge boulder in Rockford’s Central Park, including Boy Scout Jacob Stokes who has done work as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Stokes’ mother, Stacie Stokes, said the engraved pavers surrounding the stone pay tribute to people who have served in the armed forces in the past, and those who are currently serving.

“The Freedom Rock itself represents the veterans, their families and their stories,” Stacie Stokes said. “The engraved pavers contain the names of our defenders, the sacred memories of the past, and the future heroes, their stories yet unwritten.”

As of the dedication Sunday there were 239 names on the bricks.

The almost-hour-long ceremony included patriotic music — including a rendition of “God Bless the USA” sung by Pastor Dennis Burns of First United Methodist Church of Rockford, the national anthem and taps — as well as a rifle volley salute by an honor guard from the North Iowa Detachment No. 859 Marine Corps League.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 1034 presented the colors.

The Floyd County Freedom Rock project was started by the late Kathy Tumilson, mother of Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson, who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2011 when the Chinook helicopter in which he was riding was shot down while transporting a quick reaction force team to reinforce a unit of Army Rangers.

Thirty-eight people were killed when the chopper was shot down — 22 Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare support personnel, eight other American service members, seven Afghan commandos and one Afghan interpreter, as well as a U.S. military dog.

In addition to a bald eagle and a large American flag, images painted on the rock by Sorensen represent each branch of the armed forces:

  • Petty Officer First Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon Tumilson, shown in combat gear, representing the Navy.
  • Ed Trettin, who became one of the top gunners for the Coast Guard in WWII, serving on the highly decorated Coast Guard Cutter USS Ingham.
  • Army 2nd Lt. Paul Riordan, who was born in Charles City and who received a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in WWII during the Battle of Monte Cassino in February 1944.
  • Timmie Ward, an Air Force captain who was killed along with 43 other people on board when the C-130E Hercules plane he was on was shot down in August 1972 while taking off from Soc Trang, Vietnam.
  • A bulldog, the mascot of the Marines, along with the Marine motto, “Semper Fi,” short for semper fidelis — always faithful.

Sandi Willman, who acted as emcee for the dedication and who has helped spearhead the project, reminded people that the next deadline for ordering engraved pavers is March 1, 2019, in order to be prepared and installed in time for Memorial Day 2019.

Members of the Freedom Rock Committee are Glen Biggs, Melissa Fisher, Larry and Sharon Hicock, Jeff Ott, Bob Scheurer, Dale Stern, Jason and Stacie Stokes, Harry White and Sandi Willman.

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