An Iowa native was in Washington, D.C. to speak at the Memorial Weekend’s “Rolling Thunder” event. Le Mars native Lieutenant Colonel Mark Brown works at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii with the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command.

“Rolling Thunder” is a motorcycle pilgrimage that has riders from all over the country on the road boumd for the nation’s capital for a rally to bring the focus on Prisoners of War and soldiers still listed as “Missing in Action.” The original “Rolling Thunder” was a battle fought in Vietnam and a group took on the name in their ongonig effort to be heard on the subject of soldiers who are prisoners of war or missing in action in Vietnam.

Brown spoke on behalf of the Joint POW-MIA Command this past Sunday to the thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington for the Rolling Thunder event. Brown says the military is keeping a promise to everyone who ever served in the military, that they will not be left behind.

He says the command works to bring closure to families by accounting for their family members who never came back from wars. His speech was carried on the cable TV news channel C-Span on Sunday.

There are still 88,000 Americans unaccounted for from wars. He says the accounting command has found soldiers who lost touch from as far ago as the Civil War, “and we’re identifying them to send them back to their families.”

Wreaths were laid this (Monday) morning at the stone memorials on the statehouse grounds that pay tribute to Iowa soldiers who died in Vietnam and Korea. The names of the four dozen Iowa soldiers who’ve died in Iraq and Afghanistan were read, and red poppies were placed on a cross to mark their sacrifice.

Colonel Ronald Randazzo of the Iowa National Guard praised those who paused to remember. “Abraham Lincoln once said that any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure,” Randazzo said. “It is more than just another day off. It’s a time to honor those who have died in the service of our nation.”

Randazzo said Americans have a long history of military service, but too many citizens take that for granted. He cited a recent Gallup Poll which found only 28 percent of Americans know the true meaning of Memorial Day. “For more than 370 years — from the formation of the Massachusetts Militia to the global War on Terrorism — our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have always been willing to fight and in many cases been willing to die for our freedom and our way of life,” he said. “By honoring our nation’s war dead…we honor their sacrifice.”

Randazzo calls Memorial Day “sacred” and a time to remember all who gave the “ultimate sacrifice” for their country. He described it as an “unending line” of noble soldiers. Randazzo urged Iowans to pause for a minute this afternoon, at three o’clock, for the National Moment of Remembrance.

After Randazzo’s remarks, there was a 21-gun salute, taps was played and a Navy chaplain said a benediction. You may listen to Randazzo’s speech by clinking on the link below.