Ray Sorensen

In December of 2025, Sergeant Edgar Torres-Tovar and Sergeant William Nate Howard of the Iowa National Guard lost their lives overseas.

Artist and Greenfield Native Ray Sorensen says that when he heard of the loss of life, he wanted to honor them in some way, and created an illustration of the two men. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio what that image looks like.

“It’s black and white of them with the state of Iowa around them. And of course, what symbolizes, you know, their sacrifice, which to me is the folded flag and the flag that would be draped over their coffins as they are laid to rest. Like I said, art has a way of speaking, I’m a visual learner and a visual person. So that’s a way for me to honor a couple of men that put their lives on the line for the country, and they paid the ultimate price.”

Sorensen mentions that the image can be found on his Facebook page “The Freedom Rock.” He adds that he is glad that he was able to pay respects to the two men, and honor their sacrifice.