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Honoring the fallen

Memorial Day observed across Clutier, Dysart, and Traer communities

Bugler Elizabeth Lampe, 13, of Garrison, performs Taps as part of the Dysart American Legion’s Memorial Day ceremony held at Dysart Cemetery on Monday, May 30. Lampe performed Taps at each of the cemeteries the Dysart Legionnaires visited Monday morning. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Members of the Clutier American Legion Honor Guard including (l-r) David Svoboda, Andrew Schlichting, Shannon Svoboda, and Clair Svoboda proceed toward Clutier Cemetery's flagpole as part of the Memorial Day ceremony held on Monday, May 30. -Photo by Soren M. Peterson
Dysart Legionnaire Kevin Eikamp stands at attention as a member of the Rifle Guard on Monday, May 30, at Dysart Cemetery during Myers-Gordy-Pippert American Legion Post 335’s Memorial Day ceremony. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Members of the public (left) respectfully face the American flag as Legionnaires (right) with the Clutier Legion Honor Guard walk past during the Memorial Day ceremony held in Holy Trinity Cemetery on Monday, May 30. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Members of the Cluter American Legion Honor Guard including (l-r) David Svoboda, Andrew Schlichting, Clair Svoboda, Shannon Svoboda, Harry Hlas, Bernard Nachazel, Diane Hosek, Warren Colvin, Lawrence Svoboda, Marvin Bohnstengel, and Richard Wiebbecke stand at attention during the Memorial Day flag raising ceremony at the post home in Clutier on the morning of Monday, May 30. -Photo by Soren M. Peterson
PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON
Members of the Clutier Legion Auxiliary observe from a distance during the Memorial Day service at Clutier Cemetery on Monday, May 30. -Photo by Soren M. Peterson
PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
Members of Clutier's Hora-Machacek American Legion Post 453 walk through Holy Trinity Cemetery on Monday, May 30. -Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Clutier American Legion Commander Richard Wiebbecke reads a prayer during the Memorial Day service on Monday, May 30. -Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
Members of the Clutier Legion Rifle Guard including Lawrence Svoboda (foreground) fire a three rifle volley in memory of the fallen at Holy Trinity Cemetery on Memorial Day. -Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Legionnaire Kevin Eikamp (second from left) helps lead the Dysart American Legion's Memorial Day parade down Main Street on Monday, May 30, with his fellow Legion members, local firefighters, and the Union High School marching band. -Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
Legionnaires with Dysart's Myers-Gordy-Pippert Post 335, local firefighters, members of the Union High School marching band, and bugler Elizabeth Lampe (far right) walk down Main Street in Dysart on Monday, May 30, as part of the annual Memorial Day ceremonies. -Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER
PHOTO BY RUBY F. BODEKER

Iowans awoke this past Memorial Day with the nation’s flags already flying at half staff in honor of the victims of the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas – making the ceremonies held across the communities of Clutier and Dysart on Monday, May 30, and Traer on May 29, in memory of America’s fallen heroes especially poignant.

Clutier

The day began early in Clutier, where nearly a dozen Legionnaires and several Auxiliary members with Hora-Machacek American Legion Post 453 first held a coffee hour ahead of the traditional post home flag raising at 8:30 a.m. Afterward, the honor guard visited Clutier, Oneida, Holy Trinity, and St. Wenceslaus cemeteries. At each cemetery the ceremony was the same: following the raising of the American flag, Commander Richard Wiebbecke provided the invocation with a Legion prayer; a flag was placed on a Veteran’s grave; the firing squad provided a three rifle volley in memory of the fallen; Legionnaire Claire Svoboda provided Taps. With the wind blowing mightily as a backdrop, dozens of American flags could be observed flying proudly against the blue sky over each cemetery surrounding Clutier.

Dysart

Dysart’s Myers-Gordy-Pippert American Legion Post 335 held similar ceremonies beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the rural cemeteries of Houghton, Gnagy, and Rampton, followed by Saint Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Dysart. A solemn parade down Main Street Dysart took place at 10:30 a.m. with Dysart Legionnaires accompanied by both members of the local fire department and the Union High School marching band. The morning ended at Dysart Cemetery with the raising of the flag and the honor ceremony. A new addition this year to Dysart’s Memorial Day ceremonies, 13-year-old bugler Elizabeth Lampe – the daughter of Matt and Sherri Lampe of Garrison – performed Taps at each of the cemeteries.

Traer

On the morning of Sunday, May 29, Traer Legion also held Memorial Day tributes – visiting West Union, Saint Paul, Blessing, Geneseo, Spencer, Buckingham, and Wolf Creek cemeteries.

In his annual Memorial Day message, Iowa American Legion Dept. Commander Bob Waugh asked his fellow Legionnaires to “[s]low down a bit and walk through the cemetery and visualize every one of those flags has a name to it.”

“They were real people just like you and me.”