Outside the Sheeler Building at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, a black metal bench bears an American flag, the emblem of the Iowa Army National Guard’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division and a Battlefield Cross. Above a silhouette of boots, a rifle and a helmet are the words, “We Honor The Fallen.”
Tears welled in Misty Bunn’s eyes as an honor guard played taps on Wednesday.
The Veterans Day ceremony marked the dedication of two benches honoring Bunn's son, Staff Sgt. William “Nate” Howard of Marshalltown, and Staff Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar of Des Moines. The Iowa Veterans Home said Torres-Tovar’s family was invited, but could not attend Wednesday’s dedication.
Veterans Day has long held special meaning for Bunn’s family. Her younger son, James, still serves in the military, and several generations of her family have served – including her father, who turned 80 on Wednesday. This year, the dedication gave the family a place to remember Nate at a home where his grandmother spent more than four decades caring for veterans.
Bunn said it was heartwarming that “the community still says his name almost a year later, and they still honor him.”
“I mean, he's in our thoughts, in our minds every day, all the time,” Bunn told IPR News. “But to see that the community is still coming together to honor him and Edgar, and it sounds and feels like they're going to continue to for a long time to come. It makes us very grateful.”
Howard and Torres-Tovar deployed as part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.
The soldiers were killed Dec. 13 of last year, during a counterterrorism mission near Palmyra, Syria, when a lone gunman believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State opened fire on U.S. and partner forces. A U.S. civilian interpreter was also killed.
At the dedication, Howard’s family remembered him as a devoted soldier and thanked neighbors and veterans organizations for supporting them since his death. His stepfather, Jeff Bunn, said people from across Marshalltown and Marshall County came to the family’s aid after they learned Howard had been killed.
Martin Roelsgard said Howard was his first grandson. He and Howard’s other grandfather, Gene Neville, both served in the Army. Martin said Howard was proud to follow their example. Neville thanked the service organizations that have helped the family and said anyone who never met Howard missed knowing “a terrific person and a terrific soldier.”
Ruth Roelsgard, Howard’s grandmother, started at the Veterans Home as a nurse’s aide in high school and later became a registered nurse. Toward the end of her career, she helped provide palliative and hospice care to residents and supported their families at the end of their lives. She said her years there made it especially meaningful to see both soldiers honored at the home where she spent her career.
“Just very, very grateful. Grateful for the man that he was, and the soldier that he was committed to be,” Ruth Roelsgard said. “He loved this country, and he felt like it was his honor to serve and protect us against enemies, foreign and domestic. And he knew the risks and was willing to take them. And we're just very proud of his service.”
The benches were made through a partnership with Iowa Prison Industries. Incarcerated workers at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville and the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City built them. The Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs installed them outside the Sheeler Building, where residents and visitors can use them daily.
Todd Jacobus, commandant of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs, said the benches are the first phase of a planned renovation of the entrance. Marshall County Veterans Affairs Director Kevin Husebo said he was grateful the home chose a spot where people could sit and remember the two soldiers.
For Misty Bunn, who has lived in Marshalltown all her life and knows people who work, volunteer and live at the Veterans Home, the bench gives her somewhere close by to see her son’s name. His grandparents expect to visit more often now, too.
“To just be able to have some place, anytime I want to, I can come to and see his name and spend some time with him … is nice,” Bunn said.
