Honoring 9/11 Mission Of Oskaloosa Man
Preparing the field for play on 9/11 was a labor of love for Carey Legvold and his family.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Nothing says All-American like being at the ball diamond on a warm fall evening.
Remembering those that gave up so much on that September day was the thought behind the gesture of decorating the Oskaloosa Industrial softball field, and Carey Legvold and his family took on the mission of doing just that.
Working well past 1 am the previous night, they placed words of remembrance of that day, at the field in chalk. ‘9/11 Never Forget’ was marked out between second base and the pitchers mound, Carey’s wife and her mother hung flags from the fence during the day, and 9/11 could be found also marked out by each dugout.
Legvold’s brothers are firefighters and even though his brothers weren’t directly involved, “it was a tragic event for our whole country. I just remember the day it happened, where I was at, what I was doing. Angry and sad all at the same time.”
Legvold remembers that he had just gotten home from school at William Penn, and it was his first year there. “I came home, I sat down to eat a sandwich. Turned on the TV and there it was on the news. It was pretty heart wrenching.”
Legvold said the buildings had already collapsed when he first became aware of what happened, but the replays were all over the news. “I couldn’t eat, I put down the sandwich and just kind of sat there in disgust.”
Legvold says those same feelings still come up when September 11th comes around. “Still angry. I definitely think it’s more sadness than any kind of anger. I just feel bad. You see a lot of pictures of kids with bandages around their heads, all the ash everywhere that looks like snow. It’s just sad.”
Legvold says it’s special to remember every year. He manages the 20 team softball league at the field, and he says since they didn’t do anything special for the July 4th holiday or Labor Day, he decided, “What better holiday than this one.” He wasn’t really out for much attention. It was there for those that were playing Tuesday night. “Just kind of a remembrance thing.”
