FRUITLAND, Iowa–Because Bill Brockert’s uncle sold lots at the Island Cemetery, Brockert often found himself there helping with various tasks. Every few years, this included doing work on the veterans memorial, which honors Fruitland residents who served in all branches of the armed forces. When Brockert’s uncle retired, he took over his old job and continued maintaining the cemetery.
When he took up his post, Brockert found the veterans memorial needed work again. The fence needed repainting; the pulley on the flagpole, which he could only access from a lift truck, needed work; and the original tin plaque on a plywood board had started to show its age a little. Looking at the work that needed doing, Brockert had an idea. “If some people could donate the materials I needed, I could fix it up so it would be maintenance free for quite a few years,” he said.
Brockert began asking around and soon found many people willing to help him with his project. Menard’s donated vinyl fencing to replace the original wooden one. The American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, and American Legion Auxiliary combined their resources to buy a new flag pole with a more easily serviceable pulley. Iowa Memorial Granite donated a new marble monument, even advising Brockert on what color scheme would look best. Lewis Industrial Services created several silhouettes of service members out of metal, and Tully Industrial in Davenport put a durable powder coat on them. Hahn Ready Mix poured the concrete pad for the new monument to sit on, and C&R Landscaping did the hardscaping around it. Sign Pro even created a custom sign thanking each donor who contributed to the project. “It just kinda took off and people got on board with it,” he remarked.
To finish the project, Brockert purchased miniature flags for each branch of the armed forces to place in front of the memorial and several stepping stones for people to use to walk up and read it.
With Veterans Day nearly here, Brockert felt glad that he could muster enough support to update the memorial ahead of the holiday. “I think it gives more respect to the people who have served and the people who have died,” he reflected. Next year on Memorial Day, he hopes to hold a formal dedication ceremony.
Though Brockert has completed work on the Island Cemetery veterans memorial, he has more plans to continue improving the cemetery in the future. Soon, he hopes to re-side an old chapel now used for storage, to make sure the cemetery continues to provide a beautiful and well-maintained place for people to honor the lives of those who came before them.
