Photo courtesy of Sorensen

A Guthrie County artist continues a tradition he started almost a quarter of a century ago.

Ray “Bubba” Sorensen repaints the original Freedom Rock in Menlo, Iowa every year ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. Sorensen says this year’s mural highlights on one side is a lady sitting at the base of her loved one’s headstone, while ghosts of past military service men and women who died in service to their country come to console her. There is also a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the distance, with a U.S. flag visible in the sky. 

In honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the south side features the Twin Towers, a fireman and Pat Tillman, who gave up a NFL career to serve and died in the Army. The east side depicts Major General John Clem, who joined the Army at nine-years-old. The northeast side shows Oscar Austin, a U.S. Marine who was given the Medal of Honor posthumously. The north side is a Huey Helicopter with the cremains of over 120 Vietnam Veterans. Finally, the northwest side is a local World War II veteran, Bud Schultz, who went missing and was a prisoner of war. 

This is the 23rd year Sorensen has repainted the Menlo Freedom Rock, while marking his eighth year of painting a Freedom rock in each of Iowa’s 99-counties. It is also the fourth year he started his 50 state tour, with rocks already painted in Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Washington.