Names added, honored at Coralville Lake Veterans Trail

For the past few years, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Sentman has been worried he'd run out of names to add to the Veterans Trail at the Coralville Lake.

Yet Monday, 189 American flags were flapping in the breeze, each representing the name of an honoree on the trail, which is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This year, seven soldiers were added to the list of local honorees.

'It's still growing,” Sentman said.

The 2017 honorees included men who served in the Army in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The men recognized were Keith Hodapp, Floyd Smith, Brandon Burgus, Bradley Storck, Andrew Letarte, David Shapira and Jacob Cannon.

They were honored during a 45-minute ceremony led by Sentman. Dozens of people, including several elected officials, attended.

To be considered for recognition for the Veterans Trail, honorees must be a resident of Johnson County, live in Johnson County or be a member of a Johnson County veterans organization. They also must have served in the armed services, been honorably discharged and have been awarded the Purple Heart or higher.

The quarter-mile trail was completed in 1988, and the first local soldier was honored in 1989. The barrier-free trail was built to accommodate wheelchair users and people with walking disabilities. The trail includes a bird observation area, rest areas and a foot bridge.

'The veterans trail provides a perfect opportunity to pay homage to our local heroes,” said Lt. Col. Phillip Fleming, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District.

Past living honorees were recognized during Monday's event. Taps and a rifle salute honored the honorees who have died.

Letarte, who achieved the rank of captain in the Army and led more than 300 combat missions in Afghanistan, called the ceremony a 'very, very humbling event for me.”

'It was amazing,” he said. 'This is a great event … It was an honor I was up there with them.”

Letarte, who has lived in Johnson County since 2015, said he visited the trail once before and was planning on spending more time out there Monday.

Coralville Lake Operations Manager Dee Goldman, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the Veterans Trail is the only trail of its kind honoring veterans in the entire Army Corps of Engineers system.

It's also a trail the Army Corps of Engineers strives to keep open 365 days a year, regardless of weather.

'You just never know when family members might want to come a pay respect,” Goldman said. 'It's just important that's accessible to them. It's just a good thing.”

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