Today is Veteran’s Day, a National Holiday designated to honor the men and women who have served in the US Armed Forces. A short drive down the road in Van Meter is a landmark where that reverence takes place 365 days a year. Colonel Robert King is Executive Director of the Iowa Veteran’s Cemetery, in addition to being head of the entire Iowa Department of Veteran Affairs, and says the Iowa Veterans Cemetery is a very busy place, where oftentimes many military funerals a day take place, “The Iowa Veterans Cemetery is a full-service cemetery. It’s a shrine to Iowa’s veterans, though while I say Iowa’s veterans, we have veterans from 37 states, you don’t have to be an Iowa citizen to be buried there. Throughout the year we are continually doing services.”
King says that today, just like the other 364 days of the year, the Iowa Veteran’s Cemetery will be open to the public sunrise to sunset, and recommends anyone pay their respects while also taking in the awe inspiring landscapes of the roughly 100 acre plot. The Cemetery is located just off the Van Meter I-80 exit, number 113.