Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Commandant Todd Jacobus says this is a day to honor those who’ve served a cause greater than themselves.
“Today our watch is right here, ensuring that every veteran who came before us and who comes after us remains at the very center of a grateful state and nation,” Jacobus said.
Jacobus greeted a crowd gathered at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery this morning to mark Veterans Day. “This day traces its roots back to Armistice Day that first marked the cease fire that ended hostilities in World War I…It’s a day deeply personal to Iowans. Over 114,000 Iowans served in World War I. Just like in the Civil War, Iowa contributed more troops per capta than any other state,” Jacobus said. “After World War II and the Korean War congress recognized the need to honor all veterans who have served and in 1954 changed the name to Veterans Day.”
The event at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery began at 8 a.m. Iowa time. Jacobus noted it was 6 p.m. in the Middle East where some Iowa soldiers are on active duty. “As we speak, an Iowa kid is either relieving or being relieved of their watch…so that 95% of their peers who will never serve don’t have to do so,” Jacobus said. “Back home in a house with a zip code that starts with a 5, that kid’s portrait a sits proudly on a mantle or a kitchen counter. Some proud Iowa family looks on that face that looks mysteriously older in a uniform every day. They feel the absence deeply, but they understand the reasons.”
Colonel Martha Kester, an Iowa National Guard Chaplain, led the crowd in prayer. “On this Veterans Day we are so grateful for all the men and women who have and are faithfully serving,” Kester said. “…May they know a sense of your abiding presence, knowing they do not serve in vain.”
About 11,000 individuals — veterans, their spouses and family members — have been buried at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter since the property was dedicated in mid-2028.
