Friday Night Starts A Weekend Of Honor

Members of the Oskaloosa Legion helped to raise flags flown over Ground Zero at Friday night's football game versus Centerville (photo D.Hubbard)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The new stadium not only played host to the Indians, but also a group of people that that have helped, and help every day, to make it possible to play and live in the country we have.

The 10th Anniversary of 9/11 had great significance for Oskaloosa. It might seem strange that a small town in the middle of Iowa could have the connection it does to that day, but the examples are many.

Musco had their light truck on display at the south end of the stadium. The flag that was one of the original first flags to fly over “Ground Zero”, or “the pile” as many called it that worked at it every day, was hoisted into the air on the boom of the truck, where it had flown many days over the site. It was darkened from the smoke and debris that had filled the air after 9/ 11, and in the sunset of the evening made for a striking site.

Members of the National Guard, fire, police and emergency responders as well as members of the Musco team that responded to 9/11, along with their families, all stood proudly on the south end of the field. As they all watched, the American Legion also hoisted an American Flag that might just be the only one to fly over the disaster scenes of the Pentagon as well as that of the World Trade Center.

A very special guest of the evening was Frank Kminek and his family. Frank lost his sister Mari-Rae Sopper on Flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon.

General Tommy Franks was on hand Friday night to help Oskaloosa remember 9/11 (photo D.Hubbard)

Helping to make it a truly special night was General Tommy Franks. Franks was the Commander of United States Central Command. Franks directed Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

I asked General Franks about sharing in the remembrance of 9/11. “It’s important to me because it causes me to think about the blessings in this country, causes me to think about the sacrifices that have been made since 9/11. It gives an opportunity to think about 9/11 and everything that’s gone on in our country since then”.

From there, General Franks enjoyed the opening ceremony and greeted nearly every veteran, firefighter, or anyone else that had found their way to the south end of the stadium that evening.