05/24/2026
Before us stands one of the most powerful symbols of military sacrifice — the battle cross.
A rifle planted firmly in the ground, symbolizing a warrior’s final stand.
Boots at its base, representing the path they walked in service to others.
A helmet resting on top, marking the life of a soldier who will stand watch no more.
The battle cross is not just a memorial. It is a symbol of sacrifice, duty, and remembrance. It reminds us that behind every uniform is a person — a son or daughter, a husband or wife, a father, a mother, a friend, a teammate. It is a visual reminder that freedom has a cost, and that some gave everything in service to something greater than themselves.
Tonight, we gather not only to remember symbols of sacrifice, but the lives behind them.
Today we honor all of Iowa’s fallen heroes — no matter how they left this world.
Whether lost on the battlefield, in service, or after the burdens of war had followed them home, they were ours. They wore the cloth of this nation, stood in defense of others, and left behind families, brothers and sisters in arms, and communities forever changed by their absence.
And this year… this year has been especially hard for Iowa.
Tonight, we honor those we have lost.
We remember 2 113 Cav Iowa National Guard soldiers Staff Sergeant Nate Howard and Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, who were killed in Syria in December by enemy fire — warriors who answered the call in a dangerous land and made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation.
We remember the six soldiers of the 103rd Sustainment Brigade the Cactus soldiers lost in Kuwait:
Major Jeffrey O’Brien
Captain Cody A. Khork
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan
Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor
Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens
Sergeant Declan J. Coady
These names are more than words spoken tonight.
They were leaders.
They were teammates.
They were family to someone.
They laughed, they served, they dreamed, and they answered the call when their nation asked.
Their absence leaves a silence that cannot be filled.
As a veteran, I know that military service creates a bond difficult to explain to those who have never worn the uniform. We become family. We carry each other in battle, in hardship, and in loss. And when one falls, a part of all of us falls with them.
But tonight is not only about grief.
It is about remembrance.
It is about ensuring that these heroes are not reduced to headlines or dates in history.
It is about speaking their names.
It is about standing together as Iowans, as Americans, and as a grateful people who refuse to forget.
To the families here tonight: your loved ones are not forgotten. Their service matters. Their sacrifice matters. And their memory lives on in all of us.
To our fallen heroes — your watch has ended, but ours continues.
May we live lives worthy of your sacrifice.
May we carry your memory forward.
And may we never forget that freedom is not free.
God bless Iowa’s fallen heroes.
God bless their families.
And God bless the United States of America.
