Two soldiers from Greene County that fought in the Civil War received recognition for their service.

Organizer Josh Dyer, along with others, installed two headstones of unmarked graves in the Rippey Cemetery that fought in the Civil War. He said those included Private Silas Cook, who served in the Company I of the 51st Indiana Infantry Regiment and Private David C Edwards, who served in the H Company of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. 

Dyer explained that the headstones denoting each of those soldiers’ service was done free of charge through a program with the Veterans Administration. He described some of the documents that were needed to apply for the program as proof of an individual’s military service, proof that they didn’t have a headstone and the township trustees must also sign off to allow for the placement of the headstones, among other items. He was able to find pension records for both men, death records to indicate where they were buried and the Washington Township Trustees approved of the project and confirmed the records of their burials. 

Dyer talked about what he felt during and after the headstones were established at the Rippey Cemetery on Monday.

“It’s definitely very rewarding to see them placed now. It does kind of fill you with pride a little bit and the stones will be here long after I’m gone. And so, I think it’s a worthwhile effort, especially coming up on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, honoring kind of the sacrifices made along the way. We don’t have a lot of Revolutionary War veterans in Iowa, a couple dozen is all, but the other conflicts are worth noting too, even on that anniversary.”

Dyer noted that a separate goal is identifying all of the veterans that are buried not only in Greene County, but also in Boone, Calhoun and Webster Counties, as he has ancestors that are also in cemeteries in those counties. He said that as he comes across unmarked graves, he will continue to work with the VA for their free program to give these service men and women their recognition after death. 

Dyer asks any of the township trustees that may have unmarked graves that may belong to a veteran, to reach out to him with that information. He is also a High School American History and Government Teacher at Southeast Valley. His email address is jddyer23@gmail.com.