thedrifter
08-06-09, 07:53 AM
'Fallen Heroes' project keeps memories alive
By Heidi Bell Gease, Journal staff
When U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joe Welke of Rapid City was killed fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, on Nov. 20, 2004, South Dakotans mourned his passing.
Flags flew at half-mast for the 20-year-old, who was the eighth South Dakotan to die in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Government officials spoke at his funeral and Stevens High School, his alma mater, retired his football jersey, No. 36.
But while the loss is still fresh for Welke's family, life has gone on for the rest of the world. So when Welke's mother, Betty Welke, learned that a South Dakota group wanted to honor Joe and 25 other servicemen killed in Afghanistan and Iraq with a "Fallen Heroes" memorial, she was pleased.
"I thought that it was really nice that people remember and people care," Welke said. "Unless you've lost someone or you have someone serving over there ... it just seems like it isn't happening, sometimes."
Welke, her two sons and other relatives will travel to Pierre for Saturday's unveiling of more than two dozen 3-foot by 6-foot banners, each one honoring a "Fallen Hero" -- a military member with South Dakota ties who has died in the overseas conflicts since 2003.
Each light blue banner, made by a Sioux Falls company, bears a photo of a soldier, his birthdate and hometown, the unit he served with, and when and where he died. The banners will initially be displayed in the South Dakota State Capitol Rotunda.
Because of space limitations, only family members and invited guests will be allowed in the Rotunda for the 2 p.m. memorial ceremony Saturday. However the public is welcome to attend a short program at about 2:45 p.m. at the flaming fountain near Capitol Lake.
The American Legion Riders, Rolling Thunder, the Patriotic Guard and drum groups will be part of the event. Refreshments will follow in the Capitol Visitors Center. The public can view the banners in the Rotunda from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Doyla Lundstrom, her ex-husband Ed Lundstrom and several other relatives will be in Pierre on behalf of U.S. Marine Cpl. Brett Lee Lundstrom, who was 22 when he died in Fallujah on Jan. 7, 2006.
"I was very touched" to learn of the memorial, Doyla said. "We're very honored that they are remembering my son."
Brett -- who was a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and one of three Native American South Dakotans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq -- was born in Vermillion. But as the son of a career Marine officer, he lived all over the country. He's buried in Denver, where Doyla was living at the time, and where she became close friends with the parents of other Marines killed in action.
A Kyle native, Doyla moved back to Rapid City after her son's death. She misses her Colorado support network but has become friends with Welke and the mother of Cpl. Tanner O'Leary, a Native soldier killed in 2007.
She's looking forward to being with other families Saturday.
"It will be quite an honor to meet them all. We're all in the same situation," she said. "I think it's going to be beautiful."
The banners will be displayed this month at the Capitol, the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center and the South Dakota National Guard Museum in Pierre.
Program organizers are hoping that libraries, colleges, government buildings, veterans organizations and other facilities across the state will then display the banners so more South Dakota residents can see them. (For more information contact Eileen Aberle at the South Dakota Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, 773-3269.)
The soldiers' families would like that, too. Being able to put a face with the name of a fallen hero, "it makes it real," Welke said. "I just really appreciate all the work that everyone on the committee has done for this."
Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com
Fallen Heroes
Public program: 2:45 p.m. CDT Saturday, Aug. 8, Capital Lake flaming fountain, Pierre
Banner viewing: 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Capitol rotunda.
To help
The "Fallen Heroes" memorial is being funded through private donations. Contributions can be sent to BHACF/OEF/OIF Heroes Fund, Attention: Regina Jahr, Black Hills Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 231, Rapid City, SD 57709. Make checks payable to BHACF/OEF/OIF Heroes Fund.
Ellsworth program
A 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, ceremony for Ellsworth Air Force Base personnel will dedicate the base memorial for Senior Airman Jonathan Yelner. He was killed in April 2008 near Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
Ellie
By Heidi Bell Gease, Journal staff
When U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joe Welke of Rapid City was killed fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, on Nov. 20, 2004, South Dakotans mourned his passing.
Flags flew at half-mast for the 20-year-old, who was the eighth South Dakotan to die in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Government officials spoke at his funeral and Stevens High School, his alma mater, retired his football jersey, No. 36.
But while the loss is still fresh for Welke's family, life has gone on for the rest of the world. So when Welke's mother, Betty Welke, learned that a South Dakota group wanted to honor Joe and 25 other servicemen killed in Afghanistan and Iraq with a "Fallen Heroes" memorial, she was pleased.
"I thought that it was really nice that people remember and people care," Welke said. "Unless you've lost someone or you have someone serving over there ... it just seems like it isn't happening, sometimes."
Welke, her two sons and other relatives will travel to Pierre for Saturday's unveiling of more than two dozen 3-foot by 6-foot banners, each one honoring a "Fallen Hero" -- a military member with South Dakota ties who has died in the overseas conflicts since 2003.
Each light blue banner, made by a Sioux Falls company, bears a photo of a soldier, his birthdate and hometown, the unit he served with, and when and where he died. The banners will initially be displayed in the South Dakota State Capitol Rotunda.
Because of space limitations, only family members and invited guests will be allowed in the Rotunda for the 2 p.m. memorial ceremony Saturday. However the public is welcome to attend a short program at about 2:45 p.m. at the flaming fountain near Capitol Lake.
The American Legion Riders, Rolling Thunder, the Patriotic Guard and drum groups will be part of the event. Refreshments will follow in the Capitol Visitors Center. The public can view the banners in the Rotunda from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Doyla Lundstrom, her ex-husband Ed Lundstrom and several other relatives will be in Pierre on behalf of U.S. Marine Cpl. Brett Lee Lundstrom, who was 22 when he died in Fallujah on Jan. 7, 2006.
"I was very touched" to learn of the memorial, Doyla said. "We're very honored that they are remembering my son."
Brett -- who was a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and one of three Native American South Dakotans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq -- was born in Vermillion. But as the son of a career Marine officer, he lived all over the country. He's buried in Denver, where Doyla was living at the time, and where she became close friends with the parents of other Marines killed in action.
A Kyle native, Doyla moved back to Rapid City after her son's death. She misses her Colorado support network but has become friends with Welke and the mother of Cpl. Tanner O'Leary, a Native soldier killed in 2007.
She's looking forward to being with other families Saturday.
"It will be quite an honor to meet them all. We're all in the same situation," she said. "I think it's going to be beautiful."
The banners will be displayed this month at the Capitol, the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center and the South Dakota National Guard Museum in Pierre.
Program organizers are hoping that libraries, colleges, government buildings, veterans organizations and other facilities across the state will then display the banners so more South Dakota residents can see them. (For more information contact Eileen Aberle at the South Dakota Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, 773-3269.)
The soldiers' families would like that, too. Being able to put a face with the name of a fallen hero, "it makes it real," Welke said. "I just really appreciate all the work that everyone on the committee has done for this."
Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com
Fallen Heroes
Public program: 2:45 p.m. CDT Saturday, Aug. 8, Capital Lake flaming fountain, Pierre
Banner viewing: 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Capitol rotunda.
To help
The "Fallen Heroes" memorial is being funded through private donations. Contributions can be sent to BHACF/OEF/OIF Heroes Fund, Attention: Regina Jahr, Black Hills Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 231, Rapid City, SD 57709. Make checks payable to BHACF/OEF/OIF Heroes Fund.
Ellsworth program
A 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, ceremony for Ellsworth Air Force Base personnel will dedicate the base memorial for Senior Airman Jonathan Yelner. He was killed in April 2008 near Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
Ellie