Community gathers for expansion of Veterans Memorial Monument in Iona

IONA – The City of Iona unveiled an description to its Veterans Memorial Monument Saturday afternoon.

Community members gathered successful beforehand of nan metropolis building astatine 3548 North Main Street astatine 3 p.m. for a dedication ceremony. The American Legion was location on pinch nan politician and members of nan City Council.

City Councilwoman Rylea Farrens tells EastIdahoNews.com she precocious became alert location were a batch of veterans from Iona who weren’t listed connected nan monument and thought it would beryllium due to adhd them to nan list.

“We did a Veterans Day activity 2 years agone and I went retired present and realized we didn’t person capable abstraction for nan veterans who were connected our Veterans Day list,” Farrens says. “We took it to nan metropolis assembly and talked astir expanding and they thought that was a bully idea.”

Thirty-three names were added to nan caller monument. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

The description includes an further monument pinch 33 names. Dixie Hunting, a personnel of nan city’s humanities nine who passed distant earlier this year, is responsible for nan creation of nan veterans monument astir 20 years ago. Farrens says Hunting did a batch of fundraising and spearheaded a batch of organization projects to memorialize residents who’ve served their country.

The original monument had 3 headstones pinch dozens of names listed.

The oldest sanction is Akillis Sellars, 1 of nan group for whom Sellars Creek Ranch is named. He served successful nan Civil War.

The astir caller names are casualties of nan Iraq War.

Iona Mayor Daniel Gubler is 1 of nan veterans listed connected nan monument. He mislaid his limb while serving successful Iraq successful 2005. Gubler explains he was connected patrol pinch nan Utah National Guard’s 2-222 Field Artillery Battalion astatine nan clip and stepped connected an IED.

“It traumatically amputated my arm, truthful it was gone correct from nan blast of nan shells. It besides near maine wholly blind,” Gubler says. “I don’t cognize really I survived that, but I did.”

He spent a twelvemonth and a half astatine Walter Reed Hospital successful Bethesda, Maryland recovering and had aggregate surgeries connected his eyes aft returning home.

“It was a long, arduous, lonely process of recovery,” Gubler recalls.

He and his wife, who is from Iona, had moved to municipality conscionable earlier his deployment.

With his subject work trim short, Gubler still had a desire to service his state and that led him to tally for mayor. He is now successful nan 3rd twelvemonth of his 2nd term.

With a metropolis organization of astir 2,500 people, Gubler says it’s astonishing really galore group from nan organization person served successful nan military. He’s grateful to those who person made an effort to grant their service.

“We respect our veterans a batch present successful Iona,” he says.

A caption connected nan look of nan Veterans Memorial Monument successful Iona. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Farrens besides expresses gratitude for nan sacrifices of these men and says nan monument is simply a much-needed reminder successful today’s “tumultuous times” that state isn’t free.

“It’s an unthinkable measurement to show veterans that their work mattered,” says Farrens. “It doesn’t matter really agelong they served, aliases if they had an mishap aliases were harmed — we’re conscionable grateful that they were consenting to protect our state astatine each costs.”