Hundreds gathered Saturday in Marshalltown to pay their respects to Staff Sergeant Nate Howard, one of two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed this month while on active duty in Syria. The Marshalltown funeral home that handled the funeral arrangements posted a message on Facebook, saying “everyone in the community has felt the heaviness” of the family’s loss.
Governor Kim Reynolds, in a written statement posted on social media, said Howard “was a beloved son, husband, friend, and a true hero who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country….A grateful state honors him and celebrates his life. May God bless his family and grant him eternal peace.”
The funeral for Staff Sergeant Edgar Torres-Tovar will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Our Lady of the America’s Catholic Church in Des Moines. After the mass, Torres-Tovar will be laid to rest at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel.