State accounts for 50 of 3,887 listings on national Legion site.
Fifty of the 3,887 memorials on The American Legion’s national database are located in Iowa. Among them:
American Legion Memorial Building, Atlantic: A multistory building constructed as a memorial to the soldiers and battles of World War I. The building was originally planned and constructed as a community center and National Guard headquarters. In 2001 the National Guard stopped using the facility and sold it to the city of Atlantic. In 2004 the building was purchased from the city by the Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE), a nonprofit 501©(3) historical corporation dedicated to the preservation of history. The building currently houses a military museum and library. It serves as a meeting location for The American Legion, DAV, Civil Air Patrol, VFW and numerous other veterans organizations.
Civil War Veterans Memorial (Boulder from Gettysburg), Lisbon: In the Lisbon Cemetery, a 4-ton granite Gettysburg boulder stands in remembrance of those who served our nation in the Civil War. This quiet reminder of a very pivotal point in our American history stands proudly for all to see. Over one hundred years ago some local residents and the Women's Relief Corps sent a request to have a boulder from Gettysburg for a memorial monument. The first request was in late 1914, and the process took over a year before it was secured. Only two boulders were ever removed from the battlefield. Wording on the stone: "This boulder from the battlefield of Gettysburg is here rededicated and reconsecrated to the memory of the soldiers and sailors of the Union Armies of 1861-1865. Erected by the Woman's Relief Corps No 25 - 1916."
Grinnell Veterans Monument, Grinnell: The most recent Iowa addition to the database, this is is a 42-foot steel sculpture inspired by an unfurling American flag. Designed by local artist Joe Tuggle Lacina in collaboration with Ritland+Kuiper Landscape Architects, the monument honors the service and sacrifice of veterans. Visitors can enter the spiral pathway formed by the flag's design and discover an open-air space at the center of the monument, hidden from view until they step inside. The space offers a quiet place for reflection and remembrance. Illuminated from within, the monument is a striking landmark in downtown Grinnell both day and night.
City Park Air Force Memorial, Oelwein: A jet aircraft T-33A (F-80 trainer) and identification plaque.
William M. Black National Historic Landmark, National Museum of the Mississippi River and Aquarium, Dubuque: William M. Black was a dredging vessel operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from the 1930s through the 1970s on the Missouri River.
The Legion database was released to the public in November 2016, after a resolution by the National Executive Committee. Sites from any war era are welcome. The page is designed to easily upload photos and information via smartphones, even while at the site. This makes it easier to do multiple submissions at one time, as Legion Family and associated community groups comb an area for sites. Entries are made public after review. Users can search by state to see what has already been submitted before embarking on recording expeditions; they are listed alphabetically.
- Honor & Remembrance