Veterans Way Honorees

After graduating from high school, Rubble joined the US Army. He was sent to Korea and served from 1953 to 1955. After returning from military service, he worked at the Rath packing company. He was born in Dunkerton on the Roberts farm.

Angie served as an operating room technician on Active Duty in the United States Army from 1997-2003. She served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and in a Combat Support Hospital in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Angie continues to serve Cedar Valley Veterans as a Nurse Practitioner at the Waterloo Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic. Angie was born in Britton, SD, and now lives in Waterloo.

Derald enlisted in the United States Marines in 1952, serving during the Korean War until 1955. Derald worked at Grady Farms in his early years. He was employed by John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works for 30 years, Sears Auto Center for 10 years, and retired from Denso after 14 years. Derald loved engineering, home projects, and aviation and was a craftsman. Derald was a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Kimball Avenue United Methodist Church, and a Boy Scout leader. He married Patricia Jenkins on September 16, 1955, and they were married for 65 years before he passed. Derald had four children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is known as someone dedicated to his family. He had an excellent work ethic, which he passed on to his family. In 2002, Derald suffered a stroke and courageously battled back, becoming affectionately known as the “miracle man.” Derald had numerous cats, which benefited from much lap time.

Jeremy joined the U.S. Army in 2011, and was a Special Forces Operator. Jeremy served three tours, and was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked in humanitarian assistance during and after the 2016 floods in Iowa. Jeremy was honorably discharged from the Army in 2017 as Sergeant First Class. Following his discharge, he was reunited with his unit’s bomb-sniffing K9, Jack. Jeremy lives with Jack and his family in Cedar Falls. “Jeremy Simpson was born in Los Banos, California, in 1993 and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska.

Dan enlisted in the US Army out of High School and attended Basic Training at Ft Polk, Louisiana. He trained as a Construction Engineer and switched to Combat Engineer at Ft Riley, Kansas. In 1970, Dan volunteered for Vietnam and served a 15-month tour. Upon returning from Vietnam, he was stationed at Ft Carson, Colorado. While at Ft Carson, he met and married his wife Carol in 1972, and they had one son. Dan received his discharge in 1975, serving a total of six years. Dan was born in Waterloo and graduated from East High School in 1969. He worked at John Deere while attending the University of Northern Iowa. He spent seven or eight years working various jobs in the western United States. Dan returned to Waterloo and attended and graduated with an AS Degree in Automated Systems Robotics from what was then Hawkeye Institute of Technology. Dan is now retired, a Proud Member of Combat Veteran Motorcycle Association Chapter 39-6, and a past charter member of Rolling Thunder Chapter IA 1.

Dick entered the United States Army at 18, serving in World War II Pacific Theater. He was on the second wave of troops to disembark at Nagasaki, Japan. “I was 18 years old and was tough as nails,” Dick told the Courier in 2012 about the scene that deeply affected him. “It made me grow older real fast — so many burn victims. Everything was destroyed.” Dick received his honorable discharge in 1946. He graduated from Orange High School in 1944. Following his military service, he attended McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. He spent most of his childhood in Pomona, California, then returned to live with his uncle and aunt, Earl and Edna Klingaman, in Waterloo, where they shared their love of farming and raising hogs and cattle. He married Donna Jean Tannreuther in June 1949 at the South Waterloo Church of the Brethren, and they raised three children. Dick’s innovative building projects led him to be named Waterloo Citizen of the Year in 198. He was also honored as a Waterloo Courier Eight Over 80 Award winner in 2012. He was also a longtime member of the National Cattle Congress Board.

After graduating from high school, Duane joined the US Navy. He served for six years, including two tours in Vietnam aboard the USS Wabash (AOR-5) and USNS Ponchatoula (T-AO-148). After returning from the Navy, he was a truck driver for the rest of his work life, driving in the greater Cedar Valley area Duane was born and raised in the greater Waterloo area. He graduated from East High School in 1969. In 1973, he married the love of his life, Judy Lambert. Duane is the father of a daughter and a son. He is a proud life member of AMVETS Post 31 in Evansdale and also a member of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 39-6.

Bryant served in the Marine Reserves Delta Battery from 1988 to 1991 and was meritoriously promoted to Lance Corporal and Corporal. He was in motor transportation and drove for the commanding officer for 3 years of his service. He served in Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield from Nov 1990 to May 1991, and received the combat medal for this service. He was born and raised in Waterloo, where he now lives.

Oscar served in the US Army in the European Theater during WW II from 1942 to 1945 with the 818th Tank Destroyer Battalion as a member of their Reconnaissance Company. His duties involved advancing ahead of the battalion with an armored vehicle to draw enemy fire, which determined German troop positions. The intel was then relayed to battalion headquarters. Oscar described this operation as being a “sitting duck” for the Germans to fire upon. He received a Purple Heart for injuries sustained from a shell exploding within feet of him while changing a flat tire on a vehicle. In addition to the Purple Heart for injuries sustained on March 5, 1945, Oscar received metals for the European African-Middle Eastern Campaigns, American Campaign, Good Conduct, and World War II Victory Medal. Oscar also received a battle star for the following battles and campaigns: Northern France, Rhineland, Normandy, and Central Europe. The Normandy Veterans Association also awarded him the Normandy Campaign Medal to honor participants in the Normandy Invasion. After returning from Europe, he returned to the family farm in Titonka, Iowa, for one year before moving to Waterloo to work at John Deere. Oscar retired from Deere after 31 years. He was a life member of VFW Post 1623, American Legion Post 728, and the Purple Heart Society. Beginning in 1965, Oscar attended the 818th Tank Destroyer Battalion’s annual reunions. In 1978, he was elected the Battalion’s Permanent Secretary. He spent countless hours supporting the reunions by keeping a roster of the veterans’ contact information and being the main person everyone contacted for information. He attended every reunion from 1965 until his death in 2010. Oscar served decades as an honor guard member. Eventually, he served as Honor Guard Commander for the VFW and American Legion, retiring from that position at the age of 85 in 2006. Oscar attended hundreds of veterans’ funerals, believing each deserved recognition for sacrifices made in service of our country. He is one of four veterans pictured on the trailer of the Sullivan Brothers Veterans Museum’s traveling exhibit.