VERGAS — The Lakes Region is home to another artistic installation, but this time with a patriotic theme, part of a statewide project called Freedom Rock. A Freedom Rock tells the story of veterans with local ties through art. Freedom Rocks can be found in several states, including one at Veterans Memorial Park near downtown Vergas.
The idea to bring outdoor patriotic artwork to the Lakes Region came to Vergas resident Lyle Krieg while on a motorcycle trip with his wife. He came across a Freedom Rock and was inspired. Upon returning home, he brought the idea to his fellow board members at Veterans Memorial Park.
“We were excited about the idea,” said board member Doug Safar. “There was no hesitation; it was a wonderful project and beautiful art to honor veterans.”
File photo
Henry Ditterich, who is also a board member, visited the gravel pit on the outskirts of town and examined several boulders that could be used for the Freedom Rock project. He found one that offered visitors new details about the story being told at every turn.
“They (the gravel company) brought it out and it weighed 8.5 tons,” Ditterich said, noting that it is five to six feet tall.
From ongoing fundraising efforts, the board had enough money left over to continually improve and maintain the park, so they hired freedom rock artist Ray Sorensen.
“I came to paint the original Freedom Rock by accident,” Sorensen said. He explained that there is a “graffiti boulder” near his hometown. “Sometimes people write marriage proposals on it and sometimes it’s art; it’s basically a big bulletin board next to a major thoroughfare.”
When he passed by the rock a few years ago, Memorial Day was approaching. He decided to paint a message on it in honor of the veterans.
“The response was overwhelming,” Sorensen said, noting that over time people painted over the stone, as was customary. “Several veterans asked me to paint it again the following year. It became an annual tradition.”
As interest in the Freedom Rock concept grew, Sorensen and his wife discussed expanding the project on a more permanent basis. They started in their home state of Iowa, and within 8.5 years, all 99 counties had a Freedom Rock. Now the project is expanding nationwide.
“The Freedom Rocks all have different designs,” Sorensen explained, adding that each one typically features a flag or symbol with military significance. “But they all also have something specific to their country – a veteran’s story.”
Barbie Porter/Detroit Lakes Tribune
The veteran’s story may come from the organization that commissioned him to create the artwork, or he may discover it himself, as was the case with Vergas. He walked through Veterans Memorial Park and examined the granite monuments engraved with veterans’ names.
“I saw one had a Silver Star: Walter Fick,” he said. “I looked at the names of all the veterans and he was the only one there who had a Silver Star. I thought, ‘This is the guy whose story we need to tell.'”
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Silver Star is the third highest military award for valor in combat. The medal recognizes military merit and achievement and is worn on a ribbon in the colors of the American flag.
According to the Hall of Valor Project, Army soldier Walter R. Fick received the medal “for outstanding gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with the 6th Armored Division in World War II.”
Doug Safar, a board member of Veterans Memorial Park, also wrote an account of what led to Fick receiving the Silver Star. The essay explained that one spring morning, Fick organized a small patrol to arrest German soldiers near their camp. When the Nazis were found, Fick called on them to surrender, but a shot was fired in response. Fick was seriously wounded, but kept calling for the Germans to surrender before taking the lives of two of them. While eleven Germans surrendered, Fick had to be evacuated for medical care. He died on the flight to the hospital.
Barbie Porter/Detroit Lakes Tribune
Sorensen also learned of Charles Nord, a Vergas resident who served in the Minnesota National Guard and was killed in a helicopter crash in 2019.
With the veterans in mind, Sorensen examined the boulder until their stories found a place. He dipped his brush and began to create. When the stories were told, he added the words, “All gave something and some gave everything.”
“The words say so much in one little sentence,” he said.
The rock was left to harden for about nine days. Visitors can begin their Freedom Rock tour in Vergas. The tour can take visitors to Iowa, Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and all of Minnesota, as the state already has eight of them and another is underway.
Veterans Memorial Park plans a fourth monument
Veterans Memorial Park in Vergas features granite markers, benches, flags of all branches of the military, and a gazebo that houses the Freedom Rock. The park is handicap accessible.
“We now have three columns of names and we are adding a fourth,” Ditterich said, adding that each column, when full, will contain about 100 names.
The committee says the name of any veteran can be engraved in the memorial park, regardless of whether they are from Vergas or the surrounding communities.
“Contact a board member,” Safar said, noting that a name engraving costs $150 and a bench dedication costs $5,000, with room for additional words and designs. “Our donations go through the West Central Initiative, so we’re a nonprofit and fully tax-deductible.”
Krieg can be contacted at 701-238-1575, Safar at 218-201-2554 and Ditterich at 320-226-3727.
