Each Veteran’s and Memorial Day, my father took me to a local cemetery, where we would decorate veterans’ graves. One particular gravestone always caught my attention, “Dean”. I asked myself, who was this man? Did anyone remember him? Care about him? I saw this sacrifice, and I wanted my community to know about Dean; to be proud and show thankfulness for his service. There was a need to know why he, and other men and women gave their lives. My curiosity set off the catapult for a research project I began, —“Military Casualties of Franklin County, Iowa.” I researched any and all available information of the veterans who died in service from my home county. Along with this, I was the featured speaker at my county’s Memorial Day observance where
