Community, family remembers Iowa WWII soldier

Community, family remembers Iowa WWII soldier

Gazette Column
Distant relatives alerted to WWII soldier grave by newspaper article Cousins Art Tellin and Linda Burns had no idea that their distant relative who gave his life during the D-Day invasion of World War II was buried in Cedar Memorial Cemetery without a proper headstone. They were also unaware of the unusual circumstances that led to the discovery, and how veterans and their advocates came together to set things right. “Linda reads the paper — I mean she really reads the paper, very closely,” Tellin said. “She read the article you wrote and then immediately called me to say, ‘I think they are talking about our family.’” Tellin, a resident of Solon, and Burns, who lives in North Liberty, are distant relatives of Sgt. Leonard L. Kelly. The Army mechanic…
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Providing for the living honors the dead

Providing for the living honors the dead

Gazette Column
Monday I will honor my brother, who gave his life in Vietnam while serving our nation. I won’t stand at his gravesite and mourn, nor will I march around town with an American flag or other patriotic accessories. I won’t be spending my money at any of the many Memorial Day sale events. I honor my brother as well as all of our nation’s fallen by caring for veterans who have returned home and active military families who wait. And while that sounds simple — to make it a priority to care and provide for those who have served — it is a concept government officials have not yet grasped. [caption id="attachment_1118" align="alignleft" width="401"] Volunteers work to raise American flags along the edge of the cemetery in Oxford, Iowa. (Brian…
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