| Civil War |
World War I and II | Other Military |
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On Memorial Day, 1925, a $200 flag pole, a gift to the Traer community by Kubik-Finch Post, American Legion, was dedicated in Buckingham cemetery as a memorial to J. G. Safley Post, G. A. R. All costs were paid by the Legion. A bronze tablet at the base of the pole pays tribute to the service rendered to the nation by the Civil War veterans in War and peace. The Auxiliary provided the foliage bed in front of the pole. The letters “G. A. R.” were formed of green echevaria, set in a bed of white gravel. This was later replaced by permanent letters, “G. A. R.,” made by cement. A huge crowd witnessed the dedication. Eight old soldiers present were fittingly honored by the community. Post Commander H. R. Allaben was the spokesman for the Legion in dedicating the memorial. F. E. Shortess accepted the gift in behalf of the community, and Dean Ralph B. Dennis, of Northwestern University, former Traerite, delivered the dedicatory address. A Legion drum and bugle corps participated in the day’s program. A flag ceremony at the Safely Post memorial flagpole has been the closing feature of every Memorial Day program in Traer since. ~Service Record, World Wars I and II, Traer, Iowa and Community, page 75 | The arch gateway at the west entrance of Taylor Park was given to the town and to the park by the World War I veterans of the Traer community, in memory of seven comrades who gave their lives during the war of 1917-18. It was dedicated July 3, 1923 - American Legion day - during Traer's great fiftieth anniversary celebration. Judge J. W. Willett, of Tama, national commander of the Grand Army of he Republic, and Col. C. B. Robbins, of Cedar Rapids, state commander of the American Legion, addressed the huge celebration crowd. The arch was largely financed by $5 donations by veterans, and by a $100 gif of the American Legion Auxiliary. The honor roll, those who lost their lives in the services of their country, are listed on a bronze tablet - Clair Finch, Edward Ray Kubik, Edward L. McCord, William Lawson McTurk, Roy L. Pearce, Fred G. Pippert and George Wieben. Col. Robbins, in his dedicatory address said: "The American Legion and World War ex-service men of Traer are the first in the state of Iowa, so far as I know, to erect a memorial to their comrades of the local community and finance it entirely by voluntary subscriptions from their own ranks." The cost was approximately $900. ~Service Record, World Wars I and II, Traer, Iowa and Community, page 75. |
