posted on Monday, September 28, 2020
We are forever indebted to every service member, and as Americans, are grateful for the freedoms we enjoy because of their sacrifice.
In recognition of Gold Star Family Remembrance Week, September 20-26, employees of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms, with help from the National Pork Producers Council staff and additional volunteers, sent all 751 families in the Survivor Network a flag that they can fly in honor of their lost family member.
These flags are "all Iowa"—they were designed by Mike Peterson, an Iowa graphic artist known for his all-American designs for John Deere, Iowa Select Farms and Pioneer. They bear the words honor and remember as a call to action to live out everyday. The word and is yellow to represent the Gold Star Lapel Button awarded to families of Service Members who died in combat. Herbert Hoover is the only president from the great state of Iowa, and the quote is from his 1931 Memorial Day speech at Valley Forge. We were particularly touched by the double meaning of endure that made this quote most fitting – to suffer something painful or difficult patiently and to remain in existence; last. Finally, the folded flag signifies the flag presented in memory of their loved one.