Don’t Let Their Names Fade

Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial asks families to help make sure every veteran is remembered

DECORAH, IOWA ~ Somewhere in Winneshiek County, there may be a veteran whose name is missing.

Maybe it belongs to a grandfather whose uniform has been tucked away in a closet for decades.

Maybe it belongs to the woman down the road who served her country but rarely talks about it.

Maybe it belongs to someone who moved away years ago ~ or someone whose family simply never realized that his or her name wasn’t there.

The Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial Association is asking the community to help find them.

Veterans, families and friends are encouraged to submit the names of veterans who have lived in Winneshiek County at some point in their lives and are not already included on the memorial’s current veteran listing.

The deadline to submit names for this year’s engraving is September 15, 2026.

Last year’s engraving list added 40 veterans to the memorial.

Forty names.

Forty lives.

And forty reminders that behind every name carved into stone was once a real person who had a family, a hometown, ordinary days ~ and a time when that person answered a call to serve.

Thousands of Stories ~ Some Going Back More Than 200 Years

The effort to identify Winneshiek County’s veterans has uncovered an extraordinary piece of local history.

The Decorah Genealogy Association has found thousands of names of Winneshiek County veterans, according to the Memorial Association.

Among them are 13 soldiers who served in the War of 1812, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a U.S. Cavalry soldier who died with Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Think about that for a moment.

The history represented by these local names stretches across generations, wars and more than two centuries of American life.

And some of those stories began ~ or eventually found a home ~ right here in Northeast Iowa.

More Than Names on Stone

The idea behind the memorial grew from a very practical concern.

According to information shared by the Memorial Association, veteran Glenn Larson explained that gravestones in Phelps Park were fading, and there was concern about how the community would continue to remember area veterans who had sacrificed for the country’s freedom.

That concern helped lead to development of the Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial at Mary Christopher Park in Decorah, near the intersection of East Water and First streets.

Ground was broken for the project on September 28, 2021.

The Memorial Association makes its purpose clear: the memorial is not about honoring war. It is about helping people understand the price of peace and making sure future generations do not forget the sacrifices made to protect freedom.

And unlike a memorial that is simply completed and left standing, this one continues to grow as additional veterans are identified.

That means the community still has a part to play.

Take a Look Through Your Family

If your family has roots in Winneshiek County, perhaps this is a good time to think through the names.

Dad.

Mom.

Grandpa.

Grandma.

An uncle or aunt.

A brother or sister.

The neighbor everyone remembers.

The quiet gentleman who never talked much about where he’d been.

If a veteran lived in Winneshiek County at some point, the Memorial Association asks families to check whether that person’s name is already included in its current listing.

Names that are missing can be submitted to the organization.

The association also requests a goodwill donation to help cover engraving costs for submitted names.

The important date for families hoping to have a veteran included in this year’s engraving is:

September 15, 2026

Because history isn’t only something found in textbooks.

Sometimes it’s a name you recognize.

Sometimes it’s your own last name.

And sometimes preserving history begins with one person saying:

“Wait. I know someone whose name should be there.”

Don’t let their names fade.

Help make sure they’re remembered.

Information and deadlines are subject to change. Families should confirm current submission requirements and check the existing veteran listing with the Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial Association.

Deliverance Hope ~ word-round-town.com