FreedomBank Supports Giard Northeast Iowa Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Pictured are FreedomBankers along with Vietnam veterans Mike Schmelzer, Dennis Mason, Gary Meyer, Mike Hertges, and Bob Kruse.

FreedomBank is proud to contribute $2,000 to the Giard Northeast Iowa Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park, a community-driven project honoring the service, sacrifice and legacy of Vietnam veterans from across Northeast Iowa. The memorial is being developed along U.S. Highway 18 near Giard, between Monona and Marquette, on a site that offers both visibility and historical significance. What began as a plan to provide a permanent home for the Northeast Iowa Vietnam Veterans Association’s memorial float has grown into a larger vision for a place of remembrance, education and reflection.

Construction is now underway, with the completed park planned to feature a 12-foot black granite monument engraved with the names of the 53 Northeast Iowa veterans who died in the Vietnam War. The granite will come from the same quarry used for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. The park will also include a memorial plaza with benches and landscaping, flags representing the United States, Iowa and POW/MIA, interpretive historical panels, an ADA-accessible trail system, a shelter, restrooms and a “Welcome Home” arch. Additional elements will help tell the story of the Giard Tract and the history of the area. The project is currently targeting completion and an opening in July 2027.

FreedomBank is honored to support a project that will create a lasting place to remember those who served and to help future generations understand their stories. The Northeast Iowa Vietnam Veterans Association continues to raise funds toward the memorial park and welcomes support from individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the region. To learn more or make a donation, visit the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque’s Giard Northeast Iowa Vietnam Veterans Memorial giving page.