The Final Salute

07/31/2025

Each year, we put great thought and care into selecting the individuals who serve as Urn Bearers, Flag Bearers, and Flag Recipients. These roles are filled by representatives who step in as family with deep respect and honor for those being laid to rest.

I am honored to introduce three more of these special individuals who will serve in this meaningful way at our upcoming service.

The service will be held on Saturday, October 4th at Lutheran Church of Hope in Waukee.

Visitation: 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Service: 11:00 AM

Military Honors: to follow at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery

We invite you to join us as we remember and honor these lives with dignity and love.

07/29/2025

Thank you to the Jasper County Korean War Veterans group for having us come and speak tonight!

We love sharing about The Final Salute ❤️🇺🇸

07/27/2025

This year's Unclaimed Veterans Representatives have been selected, and we are honored to recognize these compassionate individuals, who will step in and act as family for these individuals.

This incredible group is comprised of Todd Jacobus , Eric Swanson, and Jeremey Hummel.

07/09/2025

Edit***

Wow you are all amazing! We have this need taken care of!!!

We are full steam ahead on this years service and as always we NEED YOUR HELP! The PCM shop class again is helping us make the urns - but we would love if we could get some of the wood donated. They are asking for larger width boards about 8 inches wide. Please let me know if this is something you can help with!

07/09/2025

We are VERY excited to announce the location and timing for this year's Final Salute service. We are still working on how many veterans we will be honoring this year! More details will come but for now MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

07/04/2025

Have a fun and safe 4th!

06/25/2025

We love seeing the honor and respect given to those who have waited so long to return home. See below if you want to help honor this young man.

Corporal Melvin Lloyd Huff 19, of Eldora and formally of Iowa Falls, passed away January 20, 1945 in New Guinea during WWII. His remains were finally discovered and are being repatriated back to Iowa Falls for burial.

From Mark B Greiner: Thursday, June 26th there will be a military es**rt from Des Moines International Airport to lowa Falls, la. The es**rt will depart the airport at approx. 7:15-7:30PMfor Linn's Funeral Home in lowa Falls. Planned route will be I-35 to US #20 to the lowa Falls Exit.

Corporal Melvin L Huff, enlisted in 1943 after finishing his junior year at Eldora High School. 82 years later he is coming home.

Grab an overpass and show this hero we appreciate his sacrifice to our nation. RIP Melvin. 🇺🇸

06/23/2025

We love supporting those who support us! If you have attended our services - many times you have seen The Young Patriot's group leading us on song. Their teacher has written a book titled : Because of you Old Glory Flies, artwork is by The Freedom Rock.

Here is the link to purchase! Lets show our support!

Because of You Old Glory Flies is a collection of heartfelt poems and illustrations to say thank you to all who have served, or currently serve in the United States military. In creating this book, Julie Dueker and Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, a.k.a. The Freedom Rock Painter, have combined their uni...

05/28/2025

Today In Iowa, many are saying a goodbye to their loved ones as they answer the call to serve. Many of these individuals are dear friends and participants of The Final Salute.

We pray for thier safety, their families, and their fellow soldiers as they take on this mission.

Thank you all for your service. 🇺🇸

05/26/2025

05/12/2025

A Heartfelt Thank You!

We are so overwhelmed by all of your support on Saturday! Whether you purchased tickets, donated auction items, or supported us from afar, we are truly grateful for each and every one of you.

A special, heartfelt thank you goes to the incredible team that worked tirelessly to make this event happen. There is so much that goes into organizing something like this — from booking the venue, ordering food, collecting silent auction items, creating beautiful centerpieces, setting up, and tearing down. It all requires a dedicated team, and we are so lucky to have had such an amazing group of people involved.

A huge thank you to Amy Rohde, Rich Shipley, Sean Strovers, Dennis Allen, Cris Nagla, Devin Hilgenberg, Karl Lettow, Corey Langman, and Brian and Lynn Holdeman for their hard work, creativity, and dedication. Your efforts behind the scenes made everything come together perfectly!

Thank you again to everyone who supported us. We couldn’t have done it without you!

With gratitude,

Lanae

05/10/2025

Cannot wait to see you all tonight!!!! There are a few tickets left!!! Grab them up and join us!