Iowa
Vietnam veterans from Iowa to be inducted into ‘In Memory’ program
Greater than 500 Vietnam veterans, together with 26 from Iowa, will likely be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Reminiscence program subsequent month.
In Reminiscence, a program that honors Vietnam veterans who got here house from battle and later died, was established by the group Buddies of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1993. VVMF took over this system and started internet hosting the annual ceremony in 1999. Since its inception, In Reminiscence has honored over 5,000 Vietnam veterans.
“For a lot of Vietnam veterans, coming house from Vietnam was only the start of an entire new battle. Many by no means totally recovered, both bodily or emotionally, from their experiences,” VVMF President Jim Knotts stated in a information launch Could 13. “As these veterans go, it’s our obligation and solemn promise to welcome them house to the place that our nation has put aside to recollect our Vietnam veterans.”
The 2022 In Reminiscence ceremony will likely be held June 18 on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. This yr, 513 veterans will likely be honored in the course of the occasion.
“Yearly, we hear tales of therapeutic and closure that they’re lastly capable of have,” stated Julianna Blaylock, outreach supervisor on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “We’re capable of honor these Vietnam veterans who statistically had been actually handled poorly after they bought house and weren’t given these honors after they bought house from Vietnam.”
One of many native veterans accepted to the In Reminiscence program this yr was Wallace (Wally) Frederick Crawford of Des Moines. Crawford was awarded the Purple Coronary heart for accidents sustained throughout an ambush whereas on reconnaissance in Vietnam, accidents that continued to ail him till he died in 2020.
“He was shot via the stomach, so he had a bowel resection which triggered difficulties the remainder of his life,” his widow Julie Crawford stated. “He was additionally uncovered to Agent Orange, which triggered later surgical procedure and issues.”
After his discharge from the army, Wally Crawford completed his enterprise diploma on the College of Cincinnati, the place he was lively in scholar authorities, politics and the college newspaper. He later grew to become enterprise companions along with his brother, Dave Crawford, on the Crawford Brothers Firm in Des Moines for 17 years.
“I believe that the factor that I might categorize with Wally was his generosity,” Julie Crawford stated. “He needed to assist individuals. I believe the best pleasure in his life was sharing with others, whether or not that be info or serving to. And he had quite a lot of braveness to face up for what he believed in, he wouldn’t again down from something that he thought was proper. He had an actual power of spirit.”
Julie Crawford started following the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Basis due to her husband’s battle accidents and rapidly discovered in regards to the In Reminiscence program. The applying asks households for proof of service, a loss of life certificates, a brief biography and pictures of the nominee.
“I despatched an software this yr for him to be included, and I used to be so thrilled when he was,” she stated. “I used to be shocked at how quickly I discovered about it, that he was accepted, it was inside a month.”
For Julie Crawford, the chance to honor her late husband via the In Reminiscence program has made up for a number of the poor remedy he and different veterans skilled after coming house from the battle.
“Wally’s expertise was that he was spit on in Los Angeles when he bought off the aircraft,” she stated. “And he stated that the primary person who ever thanked him for his service was in 1993, over 20 years later. So I believe that is a part of what’s behind the power of this memorial.”
The couple’s son, Iain Crawford, will fly from Reno to hitch his mom on the In Reminiscence ceremony. Julie Crawford appears to be like ahead to assembly the opposite veterans’ households to collectively honor their family members.
“I believe the In Reminiscence applications additionally helps the household, that the lack of their cherished one means one thing to the neighborhood and to the nation, that they had been part of one thing,” she stated. “They name the memorial the Wall That Heals, and I believe there’s lots of reality to that. I am simply so grateful for the work of those volunteers and supporters which have made this potential.”
Households can apply to have their veteran honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund web site. Every honored veteran receives a private remembrance web page on the In Reminiscence Honor Roll and their households are invited to the ceremony in Washington, D.C.
2022 In Reminiscence inductees from Iowa:
- Joseph M. Bauer of Audubon, U.S. Marine Corps: Oct. 22, 1950-March 9, 2021
- Dennis Lee Beckler of Wellman, U.S. Military: June 29, 1947-Could 8, 2021
- Larry Eugene Brandow of Norwalk, U.S. Marine Corps: Jan. 12, 1947-Could 29, 2021
- Robert John Brandsfield of Des Moines, U.S. Military: Could 19, 1950-Aug. 6, 2017
- William Dennis Chambers of Essex, U.S. Military: June 7, 1949-Jan. 4, 2022
- Gary Allan Clemon of Sioux Metropolis, U.S. Military: Could 19, 1945-July 14, 2019
- Wallace Frederick Crawford of Des Moines, U.S. Navy: March 23, 1946-March 29, 2020
- Arthur L. Dayton of Webster Metropolis, U.S. Marine Corps: Aug. 4, 1945-Oct. 13, 2009
- David Lee Foster of Marengo, U.S. Marine Corps: Jan. 26, 1947-April 7, 2021
- Dean L. Frost of Gilbertville, U.S. Military: June 13, 1950-Jan. 25, 2017
- Edward Gaudet Jr. of DeWitt, U.S. Military: Could 15, 1943-March 26, 2021
- Tim A. Gilmore of Mason Metropolis, U.S. Navy: March 17, 1945-Dec. 28, 2004
- Lester Clarence Hartman Jr. of Morning Solar, U.S. Military: July 26, 1945-Feb. 22, 1993
- Phillip Leroy Henke of Council Bluffs, U.S. Military: March 12, 1947-Dec. 12, 2020
- Joseph Leo Hoyka of Polk Metropolis, U.S. Navy: March 7, 1945-July 1, 2021
- Alan Dean Jahnke of Burt, U.S. Military: July 25, 1948-Aug. 3, 2000
- Roger T. Johnson of Shenandoah, U.S. Air Drive: Nov. 1, 1941-March 7, 2021
- Charles Joseph Lahr of Manchester, U.S. Military: Feb. 9, 1947-Dec. 26, 2020
- James Allen McDonald of What Cheer, U.S. Military: April 19, 1938-Jan. 21, 2019
- Dennis Lee Petersen of Kimballton, U.S. Navy: July 8, 1945-April 26, 1970
- Dennis Lloyd Schnathorst of Newton, U.S. Military: Nov. 1, 1943-Oct. 2, 2019
- Dale Allen Schroth of Hiawatha, U.S. Air Drive: Could 26, 1951-Jan. 8, 2021
- William Earl Smith of Crawfordsville, U.S. Military: Aug. 17, 1948-Oct. 21, 2012
- Tony Swarts of Ottumwa, U.S. Air Drive: Sept. 15, 1945-Dec. 26, 2013
- Cecil Ray Sypherd of Washington, U.S. Military: Jan. 7, 1943-March 7, 1996
- Danny Lee White of Elliott, U.S. Military: Feb. 10, 1949-Nov. 19, 2020
Grace Altenhofen is a information reporter for the Des Moines Register. She will be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen.
WALCOTT, Iowa (KWQC) -Iowa 80 Truckstop is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024 and will be hosting the 45th annual Trucker’s Jamboree from July 11-13 at the sprawling complex located off I-80 Exit 284, in Walcott, Iowa.
Truckers Jamboree will include an antique truck display, a super truck beauty contest, Iowa Porkchop cook out, and more.
Admission and parking are always free, the music concerts are free and the event features complimentary shuttles providing transportation from the parking area to the event grounds.
Country band Blackhawk will be this year’s headliner and will take the stage on July 12 at 7 p.m. Also performing on the main stage will be Royale Lynn, Shane Profit, Matt Stell, and the Dani Lynn Howe Band.
To check concert dates and times and the rest of the event schedule for the 45th annual Trucker’s Jamboree, visit www.truckersjamboree.com .
As for the venue, this year marks 60 consecutive years that Iowa 80 has been serving the professional driver and travelers in general. The facility currently serves over 5,000 customers per day and has well-lit parking spaces for 900 tractor-trailers, 250 cars and 20 buses.
Another way Iowa 80 Truckstop is celebrating is by sponsoring a $60,000 cash giveaway as well as other prizes. The Iowa 80 60th Anniversary Sweepstakes ends October 4, 2024. Get more information about how to participate at www.iowa80sweepstakes.com.
For more information about Iowa 80 Truckstop, visit the website at www.iowa80truckstop.com or find Iowa 80 on Facebook here.
Copyright 2024 KWQC. All rights reserved.
The State of Iowa has sanctioned a massage therapist whom it unwittingly licensed in 2018 despite a history of sex crimes.
The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy has issued a warning to Abelardo “AJ” Rodriguez of Iowa City and suspended his ability to practice for five years, after which he can apply for reinstatement.
The available public records show that last year the board issued an emergency order suspending the license of Rodriguez, citing a complaint from a female patient who alleged Rodriguez touched her inappropriately during an appointment.
The board also alleged that when Rodriguez applied for a massage-therapy license in 2018, he failed to voluntarily disclose his 2012 and 2016 criminal convictions for harassment.
Court records indicate that in September 2015, a woman complained to Iowa City police that Rodriguez had been sending her unwanted messages on Facebook, as well as “multiple lewd photos of himself.” On Nov. 30, 2015, he allegedly came into the victim’s place of employment and exposed himself to her on two different occasions. Court records indicate that the case resulted in Rodriguez pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassment.
According to the board, Rodriguez later obtained a massage therapy license from the state and began working at Rodriguez Bodywork in Iowa City.
During a massage appointment in March 2023, he allegedly massaged the breasts of a female client for 15 minutes without the woman’s consent. The board alleges that Rodriguez had previously told the woman he was certified in full chest and breast massage and presented her with a consent form to sign if she was interested in the service. The woman declined.
According to the board, Rodriguez later admitted to a board investigator that he massaged the woman’s breasts but said he did so with the woman’s oral consent. He allegedly stated that he had intended to get the woman’s written consent but neglected to do so.
It was when the woman’s subsequent complaint to the board was being investigated that the board concluded Rodriguez had intentionally withheld or misrepresented information about his past criminal convictions. The board said information about those crimes, if disclosed, “may have impacted his ability to become licensed” in Iowa as a massage therapist.
It’s not clear why the board didn’t learn of the criminal convictions in 2018 when Rodriguez applied for a license. The arrests are a matter of public record and details of at least one of the cases are readily available through Iowa Courts Online.
As a result of the 2023 allegations, Rodriguez was charged by the board with improper sexual contact with a client, engaging in unethical conduct, fraud in procuring a license and engaging in conduct that subverts or attempts to subvert a board investigation.
The board also concluded Rodriguez’s conduct posed “an immediate danger to the public health, safety, and welfare” and voted to impose an immediate, indefinite suspension of his license, pending a final decision in the case.
In five years, Rodriguez will be allowed to apply for reinstatement by showing the basis for “the revocation of his license” – board documents refer to the sanction as both a revocation and a suspension — no longer exists and that reinstatement is in the public interest.
Prior to any reinstatement, Rodriguez must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and comply with any recommendations for treatment or training.
Governor Kim Reynolds on Monday announced several appointments to Iowa’s various boards and commissions, which include a few area residents.
Ofelia Rumbo of Buena Vista County and Nancy McDowell of O’Brien County were appointed to the State Workforce Development Board…Amanda Miller of Pocahontas County was appointed to the Board of Sign Language Interpreters and Transliterators…Sam Kooiker of O’Brien County was selected to the Civil Rights Commission…and Loretta Laubach of O’Brien County was chosen to be part of the Real Estate Appraiser Examining Board.
All of those appointments ARE subject to Senate confirmation.
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