VA specialists turn Iowa Veteran’s dream into a reality with creation of new Veterans Memorial in Shenandoah, Iowa

Spits of misty rain. Muddy grounds that made walking on the hilly grass an occasional test. A sudden burst of wind that threatened to pull the protective tarp from a special stone memorial several minutes before its cue.

In a way, the weather – while somewhat disappointing for the organizers of the community ceremony – seemed incredibly fitting as they both defined the many obstacles Veterans often must overcome during their time in the military service, and the years and decades that follow.

And, in a way, the changing weather conditions were also symbolic of the many challenges that confronted a group of community organizers – including several members of the Shenandoah VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) staff – who took a Veteran’s idea and turned it into a reality, here on the shores of Rapp Lake.

“You know, the weather was a little disappointing because we were hoping for perfect blue skies and warm sunshine,” said Kala Varellas, a VA Whole Health program coach who works with Veterans at the Shenandoah VA clinic. “But, when you step back and think about it, the rain and the wind were actually almost perfectly appropriate considering what this memorial is meant to symbolize.”

Varellas should know, too. She played a significant role in making it a reality.

An Idea Is Born

Through her work as a coach with the VA Whole Health Program, Varellas meets numerous Veterans through the course of a single year. Yet, despite the number, Varellas works hard to take the various services offered through Whole Health and tailor them toward each Veteran’s unique needs and personal goals.

That was the case when Varellas first met U.S. Army Veteran Ed Travis in 2022. 

“When we first met during our initial Whole Health visit and we were reviewing his personal health inventory, Ed shared with me that he had talked to a variety of other individuals and entities in previous years about trying to get a ‘Freedom Rock’ in Shenandoah and he had been unable to get his project off the ground,” said Varellas. “Ed really wanted something in Shenandoah to leave a legacy for his family and the other Veterans, service members and their families in Southwest Iowa.”

“He was very determined and passionate about it,” she said. “It was a goal that he had for a while and wanted to be able to have it completed while he was still alive to see it.”

There was something about this conversation and the tone in Travis’ voice that stuck with Varellas. So much so that she decided to share it with Angela Wallick, a social worker she works with at the Shenandoah CBOC.

“When we started talking about Whole Health, what Whole Health was, and setting goals… I felt like, maybe we can do something here,” Varellas said.

Wallick’s first reaction? “Good luck with that,” Wallick recalled saying. And then she volunteered to dive into the project with Varellas, thus creating the first initial small planning team.

“And then we just kind of ran with it,” Varellas added.

From Idea to Community Project

Wallick and Varellas soon began brainstorming about ways to make Travis’s idea a reality. “Ideas became bigger, and the excitement grew from there,” Varellas said. 

One of the first people Wallick reached out to was John Schwab, a Veteran who, at the time, served as the Page County Conservation director. Schwab also quickly volunteered to join the effort.

Varellas, Wallick, Schwab and Travis held their first official planning meeting on Dec. 2, 2022. “We looked into a variety of options that might fit a budget, which did not exist at that time, or help contribute to the budget,” Varellas said. The four-person team then began reaching out to their connections within the community to see what was feasible.

The response they received was overwhelmingly positive.

In a December 2023 interview with a local Shenandoah radio station, Schwab said that the idea of placing a ‘Freedom Rock’ – essentially a large, painted boulder – was soon eliminated due to the needs for constant maintenance. Instead, the group agreed that a better option would be a memorial featuring an engraved plaque that could be placed into a different, larger boulder than the original idea.  

And suddenly the memorial took on a life of its own.

After selecting a rock – which weighed approximately six tons – from a nearby quarry, the group ran into issues of transporting, storing and lifting the rock into a location that was chosen on the shores of a small lake at Rapp Recreation Area where Travis and his family often visited to fish or watch the sunset. As the group confronted each challenge, local businesses and individuals stepped up to volunteer their services and expertise, often free of charge. 

Soon, three flag poles were added to the memorial, joined by several park benches built and donated by two local high school shop classes. Additional landscaping was added to the site. Several local businesses stepped up to provide a discount on the rock, or to deliver and set the rock for free. 

What had begun as a simple idea suddenly became a major local community effort with numerous individuals and organizations volunteering time and money to design, build and finish the project, which was soon named “The Page County Veterans Memorial.”

The name, said Varellas, was based upon the amazing community support the team received from organizations and individuals throughout the area.

“Page County and our surrounding communities have been vocal advocates for our Veterans, and as this project progressed, there was similar support from other Veterans and community entities,” she said. “Many, many people played a part in bringing (this memorial) to life, (so) Ed penned ‘Dedicated to Southwest Iowa Veteran, their families, their friends and who those still serving. This memorial was placed in recognition of the sacrifices you made and to acknowledge the debt we owe you. Thank you.’”

Those words were eventually inscribed upon the brass plaque that serves as the centerpiece of the memorial.

The rock and plaque were officially placed at the site on Dec. 7, 2023, a little over a year after the first organizational meeting. The final memorial, with flag poles, park benches and landscaping installed, was officially dedicated and unveiled on June 15, 2024.

Despite the misty rain and windy conditions, the ceremony was attended by numerous members of the community and individuals who supported the project. An  American Legion color guard provided a military salute and ceremonial volley as a local high school musician played Taps. A local chaplain provided an invocation, while Shenandoah Mayor Roger McQueen served as the master of ceremonies for the event.

As part of the ceremony, Travis’ daughter Melody Wells spoke about what the memorial project meant to her father, and to her family.

“The fascinating thing about all this is someone had a vision… that someone being my father,” Wells said. “The vision was fueled by passionate souls that that shared a similar goal in mind and that was to create a place of peace to honor our Veterans at this very location that also serves as a place of refuge.”

“I stand here before you very honored to speak on behalf of my father, Edward Travis… a very proud daughter. Thank you to everyone who supported this idea and thank you to the people, especially those that moved forces of nature literally for it to come true,” she said. “We are here today because of each and every one of you. A legacy is to leave a lasting imprint in life. This wouldn’t have been possible without each and every encounter that transpired to have all this take place.”

Mission Accomplished

Following the June 15 ceremony, Varellas and Wallick both agreed that they couldn’t believe that they’d actually helped accomplish Travis’ dream, or all of the public support that occurred to make it happen. In a way, Varellas added, that’s what made the project so rewarding and so perfectly attuned to the VA’s Whole Health program’s goals.

“The memorial project connected well with Whole Health because it was clearly something that mattered deeply to Ed and helped (him) focus on what matter most,” Varellas said. “I felt that it was a project that, if made possible with coordination of others in the community, it would benefit not only Ed and his family, but several Veteran in the area, Southwest Iowa parks and recreation, tourism, schools and the city of Shenandoah, specifically.”

“(I also thought it) would be a beautiful addition to Rapp Park,” she said. “It was a project that I was fully vested in (and) felt passionate about personally.”

Wallick agreed, saying that when she met with Travis a day before the dedication, the Veteran shared with her that he visits the memorial every day, often alone, but sometimes with his wife, children and grandchildren. Often, Wallick said, Travis checks on the flags to ensure that rips haven’t developed. Other times, he simply sits on the bench and watches ducks swim on the nearby lake.

Some days, he visits more than once.

Varellas said the impact the memorial has had on Travis has made all of the work worthwhile.

“Angela and I were talking the other day about this project and basically debriefing the event. All I could think about was… we did this; we did this for Ed,” Varellas said. “It’s just an amazing accomplishment, reminiscing and thinking back to all the hurdles and obstacles we overcame, and looking at how beautiful it turned out.”