Freedom Rock, Veteran memorial rock in Menlo, Iowa, United States
Freedom Rock is a large boulder along Iowa Highway 25 near Menlo, Iowa, whose entire surface is repainted by hand each year with portraits of military veterans and patriotic designs. The rock stands in the open next to the road and is visible from all sides.
The artist Ray Sorensen transformed the boulder into a veterans memorial in 1999 after being inspired by the film Saving Private Ryan. Since then, the painting has been renewed every year, making each season a completely new work.
The rock displays new portraits of veterans each year, so every visit offers a different image. Visitors often stop to study the painted faces and share their own memories of people who served.
The rock sits right beside the road and is easy to reach without any hiking or long walk. A short stop during a drive through Iowa is enough to see the current paintings up close.
Ray Sorensen mixes the ashes of deceased veterans into the paint when creating each year's new design. This means the remains of fallen service members are literally worked into the surface of the rock.
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