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The cost of freedom honored in Mt. Pleasant Memorial Day service
In a heartfelt ceremony at Mt. Pleasant High School, the community gathered to remember veterans and reflect on the legacy of sacrifice
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MT. PLEASANT — In the heart of Henry County, on the courthouse lawn, 1,536 names are now etched into the black granite stones of the Henry County Veterans Memorial — a growing ledger of local lives dedicated to military service. This Memorial Day, the community added seven more.
Lonnie D. Welcher, Richard Wayne Cornick, Lynn Earl Bender, Vern Edward Dorothy, Kenneth C. Burden, Phillip A. Rich, and Walter A. Mullin were honored during Monday morning’s ceremony, held inside the Mt. Pleasant High School gymnasium. Their names were read aloud, their families stood, and a community paused to remember.
“This is the most expensive day in America,” said Pastor Monte Knutson in the opening invocation. “It was paid for with blood. No debt can oversee it. Anyone who has paid that debt understands the value of that human life. Moms will never see their sons again, fathers will weep in private, wives will raise children alone, and kids will remember only through pictures.”
The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. with prayer, then unfolded into a series of heartfelt tributes — flag presentations, speeches, historical readings, and musical performances — each rooted in the cost and responsibility of remembrance.
Avenue of Flags Chairman Dean King served as master of ceremonies, welcoming the audience and guiding them through the hourlong program. He introduced the formal flag procession, pausing with each banner to explain its significance — from the American Legion post flag to the branch-specific flags of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the newest addition, the U.S. Space Force.
“We march all these flags in, and everybody knows what they mean, right?” King asked.
King then briefly explained each one’s place in service and history.
“The American flag,” he reminded the crowd, “does not dip in salute. That started in 1936 — and we weren’t going to dip our flag for Hitler.”
The Mt. Pleasant Community High School Band, under the direction of Brad Cook, performed stirring renditions of patriotic music, including the national anthem and the armed forces Salute. Elementary students, led by Shari Moeller and Laura Westfall, delivered a spirited recitation of the Gettysburg Address.
“We cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow this ground,” they recited. “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.”
That theme — that the legacy of sacrifice transcends ceremony — resonated throughout the event.
“Each of those flags all across our country represents a veteran who was, in many cases, willing to endure the incredible ugliness and brutality of war,” said State Rep. Taylor Collins, the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
“Because of their service, we're able to appreciate this beautiful morning. Because of their sacrifice, we're able to appreciate the freedoms we hold dear,” he said.
Collins spoke candidly about the growing generational distance from military service.
“We don’t know what it’s like to have an officer come to our door with bad news,” he said. “That fact doesn’t diminish the meaning of today — it makes it even more important. It is our responsibility now, our responsibility and generations after me, to remind those who have never had to live through that pain just how far some of their fellow Americans will go to ensure that we all remain free.”
Historical legacy anchored the day as well. King read General John Logan’s 1868 General Order No. 11, which established the first national observance of Memorial Day.
“Let no vandalism or avarice or neglect,” the order read, “testify to present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”
The order urged Americans to remember not just the fallen, but those they left behind: “the soldiers’ and sailors’ widows and orphans.”
In that spirit, the Mt. Pleasant Optimist Club dedicated this year’s “Patriotic Parade” — more than 550 flags lining streets across the city — to U.S. Navy Seaman First Class Vern Dorothy, one of Henry County’s last known World War II veterans.
“We’re witnessing the disappearance of what was known as the Greatest Generation,” Optimist Club President Paul Katsion said. “If you meet a World War II veteran, make sure you get to know them and take some time to thank them.”
A wreath was dedicated in Dorothy’s honor. Terry Berts of the Avenue of Flags presented a second wreath as a tribute to all fallen service members.
As the service drew to a close, VFW Commander Robin Daniels offered a reminder that duty and sacrifice are not confined to history. Local National Guard troops will deploy Thursday, May 29 and Daniels called on the community to show support.
“We want every bridge from here to the Missouri state line covered with American flags and people to show their support,” Daniels said. “Those buses carrying our young troops will ride the center line out of our great state.”
Pastor Knutson returned to deliver the benediction, offering a prayer of protection and purpose.
“We pray comfort and strength to those who have lost loved ones, even now, years later,” he said. “We thank you God for your strength that strengthens us for today, and your strength that strengthens us for tomorrow.”
Following the final prayer, attendees stepped outside for a closing tribute — a three-volley rifle salute by the honor guard and the playing of “Taps,” performed by an MPCHS band student. The last note hung in the quiet air as the crowd stood in silence.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
