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"What brought us here today?" Mike Rowley said at the opening of the Remembering and Honoring ceremony for Colonel Rezin Redman & All Who Served.
"That is a question that probably has a very different answer for each of us. Today you will hear from family, veterans, and just ordinary folks.
Rowley, of Clive, Iowa said for him, this started with the marking of his father’s grave 56 years ago. His dad was just a kid who enlisted after high school and "got caught up in a thing called WWII. He would return from Europe but the things he had been exposed to would end his life way too early at the age of 44."
Rowley said, "My mother would instill in all us children a great respect for those who served and their families.
"Two years ago, this month when Dave Nation became a member of the General Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Iowa.
"He said that his ancestor was a veteran and he wanted to honor him with a military stone. My impression of Mr. Nation is that once he sets his mind to something, it is likely to happen. And so, it has and here we are today. Some of you here may not have been aware of Col. Redman until Dessa wrote of him in the newspaper.
"For others here I suspect some knowledge of Rezin has been known and discussed in your families for many generations. There are others here that are more knowledgeable than I on the life of Rezin Redman so I will leave it to them to tell you.
"What I do know is that after nearly 20 years of researching and placing 100’s of stones on unmarked veteran’s graves from the Revolutionary War to WWI, I am not sure I have ever placed a stone for a serviceman or women that is listed on over 400 family trees on ancestry.com
"Whatever the case is for each of you, THANK you for taking time out of your busy lives to be here today.
Rowley asked a question for each one to think about.
"Do you own or have any physical thing from your great-great-great-grandparents? Most people do not."
He went on to read a quote from Benjamin Franklin:
“If you would not be forgotten, before you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing about.”
"If we are lucky, there are usually 3 physical items, we may have of our ancestors: photos, the written word and and can you quess the 3rd…
. . . gravestones.
With the placement of this stone, Dave Nation and the other family members have remembered their ancestor Rezin Redman.
Your participation in this ceremony has also given this community something to help recall another hero’s life and service to others, and just one more reminder of what all veterans have given each of us.
Back row left: Mike Rowley (Clive, IA), Gary W. Miller, Commander AL Kewanee 875 SAR Neponset, and Adrian Miller, Douglas Holmes SAR (Zeally Moss Chapter), Adrian Michael Tubbs (Washington) military retired, Dave Nation Veteran USAF Intelligence (Cedar Falls, IA), Colonel Gary Miller Ret USMC AL 136 and Dept. Commander, and Scott Spitzer, Vietnam Veteran US Navy, Honor Guard Commander AL 136. Rezin Redman descendants who attended from left front: Jerry Freeland (Burlington, IA), Tara Harrison (Warsaw), Tatum VanAurdall, Dyna Freeland Scanlan (Dallas City), Avery Huss and his grandmother Jean Ann (Freeland) Thomes, Dallas City. Her great great grandmother Nancy Freeland was married to Rezin Redmann until he died in 1837. Nancy Redman Freeland is buried in Freeland Cemetery.
From left: J.R. Lafferty-AL Alexis, Monmouth American Legion 136: John Millar, Bill Hruby, Mark Todd with bugle, Steve Hall, Don Wells, Scott Mast, David E Peterson, Jr., Mike Conard, (Dan Gillett of La Harpe AL), Dick Clark and Honor Guard Commander Scott Spitzer USN, and Commander Colonel Gary Miller, Retired USMC. (absent Edward Martern and Cheri Stanton).
Col Gary Miller Ret USMC, inspects the folded American flag with Scott Spitzer Veteran USN during the flag ceremony.
Cheri Stanton of AL Post 136 Monmouth read the meaning of each fold during the flag folding ceremony. She is the first female in Illinois to hold the office of a Dept. Commander. She is past Commander of AL Monmouth Post 136.
Dave Nation Veteran US AF Intelligence from Cedar Falls, IA, great great great grandson of Rezin Redman, salutes Colonel Gary Miller Ret USMC, and then receives the precious folded flag – America's symbol of freedom and sacrifice.
At the closing of the ceremony honoring Col. Rezin Redman who was buried at Freeland Cemetery, 408 Crane Hill, Lomax, IL, veterans of the Monmouth American Legion (AL) conducted a 21 gun salute and taps to end the program. From left is: Monmouth AL Post 136 Commander Colonel Gary Miller, Retired USMC, Mike Rowley SAR, Dan Gillett Vietnam Veteran US Army of La Harpe AL, Monmouth American Legion 136 color guard in white and honor guard in blue: Mark Todd AL 136, J.R. Lafferty SAR and AL 189 Alexis, and from AL 136 Don Wells, Edward Martern; and Bill Hruby, John Millar, Steve Hall, Scott Mast, David E Peterson, Jr., Mike Conard, Dick Clark and Honor Guard Commander Scott Spitzer USN.