SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
More than 80 Iowans killed in the War on Terror were honored Monday at East High School. Family members, friends and students participated in the opening ceremony of a traveling display called "Remembering Our Fallen". It's a photo exhibit the Sioux City Community School District is hosting to remember those who have died in the war.
Army Specialist and East High 2001 graduate, David Lee Rice, was honored. Officials say Rice is the only Sioux City native killed in the War on Terror. Rice was an Army Specialist killed in a vehicle rollover in Iraq in 2005.
Monday morning, the Iowa 185th Air Refueling Wing performed a flag folding ceremony and a speaker remembered David Lee Rice, using words written by David's mother, Laurinda Finken.
"David Lee had a smile to remember, a trait mentioned over and over again in letters and emails that I received. David had a sense of being a natural leader," Phil Hamman, an East High Teacher and David's former wrestling coach said.
"Remembering Our Fallen" was created to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.
Chris McGowan, the Siouxland Chamber President and a veteran of the 185th Iowa Air National Guard, spoke at the event.
"Today, we pause quietly, reverently, respectfully, to say thank you. We say thank you on behalf of a great nation, not only to our fallen veterans but to their families who have suffered greatly in the wake of their enormous loss," Chris McGowan, the Siouxland Chamber President and a veteran of the 185th Iowa Air National Guard said.
Each high school will host the exhibit for one week starting with East High, moving to West and then North High Schools.
Army Specialist and East High 2001 graduate, David Lee Rice, was honored.
