Greene County’s Freedom Rock has been unveiled, but it’s “under wraps” for another two weeks.
The rock was revealed at a ceremony attended by about 125 persons Thursday afternoon, just three hours after artist Bubba Sorensen finished painting. Before taking down the west (front) side of the tent surrounding the rock, emcee Jim Andrew, commander of American Legion Post 11, announced the tent will remain.
The paint Sorensen applied needs to cure for a week before the sealant can be put on. The sealant then has to dry another week or so. Until then, dust from the road and the limestone surrounding the rock can damage the rock, Andrew explained.
The ceremony began with an invocation by Pastor Larry Monthei of the Cooper United Methodist Church. Andrew next introduced the Freedom Rock committee – committee chair and county supervisor Dawn Rudolph, VFW Post 9599 commander Don Ihnken, Jefferson city councilman Dave Sloan, Greene County Fair board member Bob Allen, fairgrounds building/grounds manager Gary Schiltz, and veteran Kenny Arbuckle. Andrew also serves on the committee.
Artist Sorensen talked briefly about the Freedom Rock® project. He said he started with three goals: to thank veterans for their service; to promote Iowa tourism; and to support his family financially. He explained that the Freedom Rocks are not “a regular veterans memorial,” but are intended to tell the unique stories of each county and to fit together like a 99-piece jigsaw puzzle. “I hope that after you see this one you’ll want to go to other counties and see what they have,” he said.
The Greene County Freedom Rock is the 53rd in Iowa. It is the last rock he’ll paint in 2016.
The committee selected four scenes for the Greene County Freedom Rock: the 1919 U.S. Army motor transport corps convoy across the Lincoln Highway (Sorensen painted LTC Dwight D. Eisenhower looking toward the convoy, his back to the viewer); Medal of Honor recipient Cpt Darrell Lindsey, represented by his B-26 Marauder (his likeness is already on the Webster County rock as he attended school in Fort Dodge for a time); Paton native Col Loren Shriver (USAF, Ret), pilot of three space shuttle missions; and members of HQ Company, 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division.
The company, which included many local soldiers, was captured in World War Two at Kasserine Pass in North Africa. They were held as prisoners of war for more than two years. The likeness of Tech Sgt Robert A. Carman represents the company.
The 30-ton rock was donated by Flack Excavating. The site, nestled between the trailhead of the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the Greene County Fairgrounds on the east side of Jefferson, was donated by Landus Cooperative.
Fundraising for lighting/security and landscaping is ongoing. Donations can be directed to VFW Post 9599 or taken to any branch of Peoples Trust & Savings Bank.
