Freedom Rock Dedicated In Cedar Falls [Gallery]

It serves as a permanent monument to the fallen soldiers and local veterans of who have proudly served the United States. The Black Hawk County Freedom Rock was dedicated in Cedar Falls on Monday (Nov. 9, 2015).

It took artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II of Greenfield about a week to paint the rock with images recommended by a local committee. He completed the work in late September.

The rock features the images of local heroes who served during the years spanning World War II to the present.

One of veteran depicted on the rock is Taylor Morris of Cedar Falls, a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialist who lost parts of all four limbs while surviving a bomb blast in Afghanistan.

Another local hero from Cedar Falls featured on the monument is Medal of Honor winner Robert Hibbs, who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Vietnam. The U.S. Army second lieutenant was killed in 1966 while leading an ambush patrol against two Viet Cong. Hibbs was killed providing covering fire for a sergeant, who took a wounded man to safety. Hibbs was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

An image of Waterloo's Five Sullivan Brothers -- George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert -- is also painted on the rock. The siblings enlisted in the U.S. Navy in January 1942 with the stipulation that they serve together. The siblings were on the USS Juneau on November 13, 1942, when a Japanese torpedo struck and sunk the cruiser, killing all five brothers and most of the other crew members. Their deaths are believed to be the greatest military loss by a single family in U.S. history.

Waterloo's five Sullivan brothers killed during World War II and two Cedar Falls natives -- Medal of Honor winner Robert Hibbs, killed in Vietnam, and sailor Taylor Morris, disabled in Afghanistan -- will be featured on the rock, along with a "respect for the flag" theme featuring a veteran, a Marine and a schoolboy saluting the flag.

An American flag is painted to look as if it's draped over the rock. The final image painted by Sorenson is that of a veteran, a soldier, and a school boy respecting the flag. They are shown saluting it.

The Black Hawk County Freedom Rock is located in Veteran's Park in Cedar Falls, located just off Waterloo Road at 1405 Bluff Street. It's the 38th Freedom Rock completed by Sorenson, who has a goal of painting one in each of Iowa's 99 counties.

For more information on Sorenson's "Freedom Rock Tour" can be found at www.thefreedomrock.com.