Coon Rapids, IA - Veterans’ Memorial Park Wall

Local artist Stacy Muench was commissioned to paint a mural on the Veterans’ Memorial Park wall on Main Street in 2018. The mural depicts scenes from WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam and the War on Terror along with symbols of each military branch. Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Coon Rapids honors all Coon Rapids area veterans beginning with World War One who made the ultimate sacrifice. The centerpiece of the memorial was originally built in Afghanistan but found its way to Main Street Coon Rapids where it was dedicated in July 2018. The centerpiece of the park is an Afghanistan memorial – a unique monument that was built by members of a private logistics support company working in Afghanistan and given to the 375th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion as a way to show their support and appreciation. The monument was originally constructed at Camp Leatherneck in the Hellmand Province of Afghanistan to honor five fallen soldiers of the 375th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. One of those soldiers was Shawn Muhr of Coon Rapids who died January 29, 2011 when his military truck was struck by a roadside bomb. Later in 2012 the names of two more fallen soldiers were added. Inspired by the National 9/11 Memorial, the monument consists of a small reflecting pool with fountain, a five-foot-tall Freedom Tower made out of reinforced concrete covered with mirrored plexiglass and a concrete wall measuring seven feet covered with black granite.