Grundy County Lake- Dike, IA

Grundy County Lake - Dike, IA 

Waterloo was originally known as Prairie Rapids Crossing. The town was established near two Meskwaki American tribal seasonal camps alongside the Cedar River. It was first settled in 1845 when George Hanna arrived with his family.  Evidence of these earliest families can still be found in the street names, such as Hanna Boulevard.

The name of the town was changed to Waterloo the after Charles Mullan petitioned for a post office in the town. Since the signed petition did not include the name of the proposed post office location, Mullan was charged with selecting the name when he submitted the petition. The name Waterloo struck his fancy, and a post office was established under that name. The 1895 to 1915 period was a time of rapid growth in manufacturing, rail transportation and wholesale operations. 

Waterloo suffered greatly during the agricultural recession of the 1980's. The majority of  the employers at the time were heavily rooted in agriculture. John Deere, the area's largest employer, cut 10,000 jobs, and the Rath meatpacking plant closed altogether, losing an additional 2,500 jobs. It is estimated that Waterloo lost 14% of its population during this time. Today the city enjoys a broader industrial base, as city leaders have sought to diversify its industrial and commercial mix. Deere remains a strong presence in the city, but employs only roughly one-third the number of people it did at its peak.

We saw this unusual corn crib on the side of the road. You do not often see landscaping bordering many farm buildings. The farmer went to great lengths to make this look nice and well maintained. 

The story of the Fighting Sullivan's is one of heroism and deep tragedy.

The five Sullivan brothers, who were from Waterloo, were serving all together during WWII on the light cruiser USS Juneau.  All five were killed when the ship sank on November 13, 1942.

The Sullivans enlisted in the US Navy on January 3, 1942, with their stipulation that they serve together. The Navy had a policy of separating siblings, but this was not strictly enforced. George and Frank had served in the Navy before, but their brothers had not. The Navy granted their request and all five were assigned to the cruiser USS Juneau .

Juneau participated in a number of naval engagements during the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign beginning in August 1942. Early in the morning of November 13, 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Juneau was struck by a Japanese torpedo and forced to withdraw. Later that day, as it was leaving the Solomon Islands' area with other surviving US warships from battle, the Juneau was struck again, this time by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-26. The torpedo likely hit the thinly armored light cruiser at or near the ammunition magazines and the ship exploded and quickly sank.

Security required that the Navy not reveal the loss of Juneau or the other ships so as not to provide information to the enemy. Letters from the Sullivan sons stopped arriving at the home and the parents grew worried. This prompted Alleta Sullivan to write to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in January 1943, citing rumors that survivors of the task force claimed that all five brothers were killed in action.

Her letter was answered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 13, 1943, who acknowledged that the Sullivans were missing in action, but by then the parents were already informed of their fate, having learned of their deaths on January 12. That morning, the boys' father was preparing for work when three men in uniform – a lieutenant commander, a doctor and a chief petty officer – approached his door. "I have some news for you about your boys," the naval officer said. "Which one?" asked Tom. "I'm sorry," the officer replied. "All five."

The "Fighting Sullivan Brothers" became national heroes. President Roosevelt sent a letter of condolence to their parents. Pope Pius XII sent a silver religious medal and rosary with his message of regret. The Iowa Senate and House adopted a formal resolution of tribute to the Sullivan brothers. Two Naval ships have been named in their honor. The wreckage of the ship was found in 2018. 

Lisa has taken up a lot of new hobbies in the last year.  She can now add Tank Driver and Tank Commander to her resume.

Berthing has not improved much on Navy ships in the last 80 years.  They actually had more space bunk to bunk than we did in the 1980's aboard the USS Lapon (submarine).

It was customary for a family to hang a flag in their front window while they had family members serving in the war. Blue stars were a symbol of love, pride, worry and hope. The blue star was replaced with a gold star upon their death to denote their loss. The Sullivan family window was one of very few that had five gold stars.

 The Korean Conflict is often referred to as the "Forgotten War".  The Cold War lasted 46 years and was never formally acknowledged as a war.  The only people that were lost during that war was the crew of the USS Scorpion, and it is unknown what caused that submarine to sink.  The Cold War is truly the forgotten war.  We have seen evidence of this time and time again as we travel across the US and visit various military museums and memorials. 

Another Military Hero, George "Bud" Day, from Iowa was the only recipient of both the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross, for his service during the Vietnam War, the Korean War and WWII. He is the most decorated military officer since Douglas MacArthur. As a prisoner of war, he shared a cell with John McCain, future presidential candidate, during his five years and seven months of captivity by the North Vietnamese. After extensive rehab for over a year, he returned to active flying status. He retired in 1977 after he was passed over for the nomination to brigadier general. He successfully fought to have Tricare for Life available to retired military retirees over the age of 65. Upon his death in 2013, John McCain spoke highly of Day- calling him "the bravest man I ever knew". 

During the Cold War, there were many locations around the US that were designated as Fall Out Shelters. Schools performed drills in case of nuclear attack.

Who knew that Maytag tried to get into the car manufacturing business? This was news to us.