“So when you make your mark on the earth, let it be the mark of a good man.”

Those words were written by the late Willis Moeller, a Fort Dodge military veteran who was awarded the Distinguished Fly Cross. He earned that distinction after he rescued a downed pilot during the battle of Kagoshima Bay.

Moeller is one of the veterans depicted on the Webster County Freedom Rock, located at Second Avenue South and A Street. The spot was designated in 2013 thanks to the efforts of John Enderlin, of Fort Dodge. It was painted in 2016 by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen. And on Saturday, a formal dedication was held for the Freedom Rock.

The event was hosted by the Fort Dodge Veterans Council.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Gary Moeller, left, is visibly emotional as he greets John Enderlin, of Fort Dodge, during a formal dedication of the Webster County Freedom Rock on Saturday. Moeller had just finished reading a letter written by his father, Willis Moeller, who is honored on the rock. Willis Moeller was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. Enderlin led the effort to have the freedom rock created. The rock was painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorenson in 2016.

During the ceremony, an emotional Gary Moeller read a note written by his father, Willis Moeller, which contained the quote in the lead paragraph of this story.

Tom Dorsey, commander of the Fort Dodge Veterans Council, said there were four pilots from the USS Hancock who were involved in the mission to save a pilot who had been shot down and was in a life raft in Kagoshima Bay, Japan.

“Immediately upon arriving at the site, all four of the pilots were heavily involved in a dog fight with eight Japanese Zeros,” Dorsey said. “Five of the Zeros were shot down and the other three dispersed. One of the American pilots, Ensign Louie Davis was killed in the air battle. The mission to save the downed pilot was successful when he was picked up by a Navy sea plane.”

In addition to Willis Moeller, the Webster County rock features a Dragoon soldier common to the fort era and Portraits of Medal of Honor recipient Darrell Lindsey.

Lindsey was born in Jefferson. He graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Andrea Bodholdt, of Fort Dodge, belts out “The Star-Spangled Banner,” America’s national anthem, during a formal dedication of the Webster County Freedom Rock on Saturday.

According to Dorsey, on Aug. 9, 1944, Lindsey’s B-26 took a direct hit during his 46th combat mission of World War II.

“He was able to skillfully maneuver the heavily damaged aircraft while his crew bailed out,” Dorsey said. “However, Captain Lindsey was killed when his aircraft exploded before he was able to exit the disabled bomber.”

An air station in Wiesbaden, Germany, was named after Lindsey. It was later closed in 1993, according to Dorsey.

A monument honoring Lindsey was moved from Wiesbaden to the Bell Tower Square in Jefferson.

Another feature of the Freedom Rock includes one side that is dedicated to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
U.S. Navy veteran Jim Purkapile Jr. plays “Taps” following a formal dedication of the Webster County Freedom Rock on Saturday morning. Purkapile is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856 in Fort Dodge.

On the top of the rock is a painting of a draped flag. Cremains of several veterans are mixed in with the paint.

The Rev. Allen Redenius, of First Congregational Church of Fort Dodge, paid his respects through prayer.

“We assemble for the purpose of remembering, for the purpose of honoring,” he said. “For the high purpose of memorializing these moments that dedicate these symbols, these pictures of history. It is for freedom that we look back at the past. It is for freedom that we look to the present.”

Redenius continued, “Freedom from tyranny, freedom to worship in this great land of ours. We look around at our country and we see so much that divides us. We look upon these faces of history painted on this rock and beyond them we see thousands and thousands of faces of whom they represent. Could those faces but see today the riots, the looting, the destruction of peace and the rise of lawlessness, certainly though painted in stone, a tear would ebb out of their eye.

“They fought so hard against an enemy from abroad. They gave so much on foreign battle fields of freedom. And today they see an enemy from within. Together with those who laid their lives down for freedom’s sake, with those who might be called upon even today to make such a sacrifice for these United States of America, we pray.”

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Tom Dorsey, commander of the Fort Dodge Veterans Council, smiles as he welcomes a crowd gathered for a formal dedication of the Webster County Freedom Rock on Saturday morning.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson Marie Sheeder, retired U.S. Navy commander, lays the wreath during a special ceremony where the Webster County Freedom rock was formally dedicated on Saturday near Second Avenue South and A Street.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
The Webster County Freedom Rock is displayed near Second Avenue South and A Street. The Webster County design features a Dragoon soldier common to the fort era, and one side of the rock is dedicated to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Portraits of Medal of Honor recipient Darrell Lindsey and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient Willis Moeller are included. The top of the rock is a painting of a draped flag. Cremains of several veterans are mixed in with the paint.