The honored heroes were not the stars of the gridiron or baseball diamond. Nor were they the caped crusaders of comic books and movies.

On Memorial Day, perhaps the most somber national holiday, the group gathered at Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park to pay tribute to the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who lost their lives defending the United States.

“Society likes to use the word hero,” said Tom Dorsey, adjutant of American Legion Post 130 and keynote speaker at the ceremony. “There are sports heroes, action heroes and political heroes. But is there any group more deserving of the title than the more than 1 million men and women who have sacrificed their lives for nearly 250 years in defense of this great nation?”

“The heroes that we honor today are not exclusive to any gender, race or religion,” he added. “They come from all economic classes and backgrounds. They hail from all 50 states and some have migrated from other countries. They are a diverse group wedded to the belief that the United States of America is a nation worth taking an oath to sacrifice their life if necessary.”

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Rich and Joyce Lennon, of Fort Dodge, received the Veteran of the Year Award from the Fort Dodge Veterans Council during Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony at Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park. He retired with the rank of colonel following a career in the Army and Army Reserve that began in 1970. She was commissioned into the Army through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Upper Iowa University. She was discharged with the rank of captain in 1994.

During his remarks, Dorsey highlighted an area native’s heroism. He said the late Lt. Col. Lowell K. Brueland was born in Callender. He enlisted in the Army Air Force in January 1942. He flew a P-51 Mustang fighter plane over occupied Europe and was credited with 12 ½ air victories. For his World War II service, he received the Distinguished Service Cross and three Distinguished Flying Crosses.

His military career was not over yet. During the Korean War he flew an F-86 Saber and shot down two more enemy aircraft.

Brueland was still not done, according to Dorsey. In 1966, he was named operations staff officer for war plans in Saigon, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War.

He died in 2012 at the age of 94 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

During the local Memorial Day commemoration, the Fort Dodge Veterans Council announces its Veteran of the Year. This year, there were two recipients — the husband and wife team of Rich and Joyce Lennon.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The Honor Guard of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856 presents the American flag at the beginning of Monday’s Memorial Day observance at Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park.

Rich Lennon enlisted in the Army in 1970 and served in South Vietnam in 1971 and 1972. He received the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and three Army Commendation Medals for his service there.

He then transferred to the Army Reserve. In 2003, he served in Kuwait and Iraq as chief of staff for the III Corps Support Command. He received the Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service there.

Not long after completing that assignment, he went to Heidelberg, Germany, to serve as chief of staff for the V Corps.

He retired in 2007 with the rank of colonel. Today he is a member of the Webster County Veterans Affairs Commission. He is the quartermaster and Honor Guard commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856.

Joyce Lennon was commissioned into the Army through the Reserve Officer Training Corps upon graduating from Upper Iowa University in Fayette.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Dan Cassady, the new director of the Karl L. King Municipal Band, leads the musicians as they play patriotic music before the Memorial Day ceremony at Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park.

She served in Army Reserve units in Waterloo and Ames as well as the Individual Ready Reserve until being discharged in 1994 with the rank of captain.

She is a member of American Legion Post 431 in Gowrie and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856 Auxiliary in Fort Dodge. She has helped organize the Gowrie Independence Day parade and cleanup projects at Terry Moehnke Veterans Memorial Park.

“Joyce and her husband, Rich, played key roles in promoting and raising funds for the memorials at this very park honoring the Webster County soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who lost their lives while serving their country,” Dorsey said. “They are also playing key roles in promoting and raising funds for the Veterans Memorial Bridge project that displays the insignias of each branch of service and the folds of honor for those who have passed away and an adjacent plaza.”

During Monday’s ceremony, Scott Johnston read the names of all the Webster County veterans who died since Memorial Day 2024. He also read a reflection on veterans, accompanied by music from the Karl L. King Municipal Band.

The band played patriotic music for half an hour before the ceremony started.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
The American flag flies at half-staff next to the Civil War monument in Oakland Cemetery in Fort Dodge Saturday morning. The monument was erected in 1900 to honor Union soldiers killed in the Civil War, which started in 1861 and ended in 1865.

The ceremony concluded with the firing of a rifle salute by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856 Honor Guard and the playing of taps.