In 2020, the City of Kalona began a restoration project for the tomb of the unknown soldier monument in Sharon Hill Cemetery, which included sending the monument to Dubuque to be re-etched and refurbished. That monument served as the backdrop for Kalona’s Memorial Day Services on Monday, May 30.

The previous monument had a cement base which was deteriorating and was replaced by a two-tiered granite base to house the original granite monument. The city also added a seating area for reflection, using local contractors whenever possible to supply and work with the cement, landscaping and other materials.

“The monument is a way for our community to pay respects to those who were not able to return or are unknown in their whereabouts. It’s something that’s been up there for a long time. We felt that to truly honor those unknown soldiers, we wanted to put a fresh face on it,” said City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh. “We wanted to reclaim that part of history and the granite that was there and has been there for a long time. This was the way our community could repurpose that and give it a fresher look for people to be able to utilize it a little better than it had been.”

At Monday’s Memorial Day service, flowers were laid on the monument to represent lives lost in all of America’s wars. The Ladies’ Auxiliary and girl scouts placed a wreath near the monument. Boy scouts put American flags around the borders.

“Over 16 million Americans served in WWII. Most of them grew up in the Great Depression only to reach young adulthood, as 18, 19 and 20 year olds, to go and fight in a war,” said Kevin Reece, a United States Navy Veteran and commander of the Amvets in Richmond. “Of the 16 million, several hundred thousand never came home, some of which are buried here, some of which are buried in cemeteries throughout Europe and even some over the side into the deep. Those who survived came home and prospered only to see their sons grow up to use their lives to go to Vietnam. Over 50,000 of them never came home and the ones that did weren’t very welcome until a decade ago or so. The ones that did saw their sons, daughter and grandkids grow up to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them didn’t come home. This is why we remember them every year.”

“They fought for this country so we could live the life we’re living today, in the country we live in today,” Reece concluded. “Keep them in mind, especially today. Any time you drive by a cemetery or a house where there’s an American flag, take a split second or two in your mind to thank those people for that.”