A Memorial That Is Near To My Heart And Home

Iowa’s Firefighters Memorial *

*I recommend you use the enlargement feature on the photos to see the real beauty of this place. 

I’m very proud to have the Iowa Firefighter’s Memorial within a mile of my home. It is a beautiful spot and a lasting tribute to the many men and women who have served their communities as firefighters over the years. This excerpt was taken from the web site for the memorial.

http://www.iowafirememorial.org/default.htm”>Firefighters

The memorial park is an inspiration to Iowans of all ages to continue the tradition in Iowa of service to each other and to our communities.

Iowa is the first state to have a firefighter memorial and visitor center echoing Iowa's national leadership in fire service training and safety education. Iowa has 2O,OOO firefighters organized in 871 fire departments. Every year these men and women serve 3 million Iowans in more than 4O,OOO emergency calls. Every Iowan will be touched at some point in life through fire rescue, emergency response, fire prevention education, or hazardous materials cleanup. This memorial park exemplifies Iowa-its pride, family values, community service, and commitment to quality. The site includes the memorial sculpture and wall, eternal flame and a visitor center with restroom facilities. Ample parking and peaceful landscaping complement the tranquil view. The memorial park was dedicated April 10, 1994 at a ceremony attended by 2,500 firefighters and fellow Iowans.

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One reason this memorial has meaning to me is because I grew up in a small town with a volunteer fire department. My father served as a firefighter with this department for many years. My brother and sister and I are currently working to have his name added to the memorial walls. You must contact the Iowa Firefighter’s Association to do this. There is a charge of $100 which covers the cost of the stone cutters services. You must have verification from the fire department on which the person served that they served 10 or more years or died in the line of duty. Each year in June there is a ceremony at the memorial sight to honor the new additions to the walls of memory.

As you drive into the site you are greeted by a lovely garden setting and a limestone sign that lets you know that you are in the right spot.  

The grounds are just off I-80 in Coralville at Exit 242 so are very easy to get to. I pass the lovely site every time I go to my gym. You drive up into a parking area that is just the beginning of the beautifully landscaped grounds. The first thing you probably notice it the sculpture of a firefighter on a ladder rescuing a child.

You actually come to the visitors center first and it is well worth going inside.  

You are able to look up the names of firefighters whose names have been placed on the granite walls to find the location. Friends and families often make the trip to Coralville to visit the memorial and find their loved ones name on a wall.

As I walked towards the walls with the names of firefighters etched on them, I saw the beauty and the serenity of the memorial as if it were the first time I’d been there. There is a feeling of calm that comes over one as they approach the walls. The words across the top of the memorial walls are “Memory For Those Who Have Served”.  

I spent time there this summer and found my first cousins name on the wall. It brought back good memories of him and of all the stories he used to tell of his time as a firefighter. The memorial remembers those who have died in the line of duty as a firefighter and those who have given ten or more years firefighting service prior to their death.

Naturally you will want to walk to the memory walls, but the sculpture in the area near the Visitor’s Center will cause you to stop and admire the bronze figure of a firefighter on a ladder rescuing a child. It is surrounded by a landscaped area that that changes in beauty with the seasons.

Once at the walls you become engrossed in looking at the hundreds of names. Yes I know several people who are remembered on the memorial and I always have to find their names.

It is a beautiful place and a worthy tribute to all those who have given their service to Iowa as firefighters.