Mason City soldier remembered at funeral

Services were held Wednesday in Mason City for Specialist Dustin Colby, one of the two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed Friday in a semi-tractor rollover accident near Camp Dodge. The 20-year-old from Clear Lake was one of 25 members of the Mason City-based 11-33rd Transportation Company that were assigned to the Sheldon-based 21-68th Transportation Company which was being deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Among those who spoke at the funeral was fellow 11-33rd member Specialist David Ryerson. Ryserson says to his friends, Dustin was also a kind of family…and to his own family, he was also a friend. Clear Lake professional speaker David Okerlund also spoke at the funeral. He told the story of another person who had to speak at a funeral who looked at a tombstone, talking about the significance of the dash between the date of birth and date of death. Quoting a saying about how it is important to spend the time you are alive that’s indicated by the dash.Funeral services were also held yesterday in northwestern Iowa for 30-year-old Staff Sergeant Bruce Pollema of Hull, the other soldier killed in the accident.