Never forgotten

Benches dedicated in memory of SSgts. Howard, Torres-Tovar at IVH Wednesday

After the main Veterans Day program had concluded inside the Malloy Leisure Resource Center (LRC) on Wednesday morning, a smaller group convened outside of the Sheeler Administration Building on the Iowa Veterans Home (IVH) campus to commemorate the dedication of two especially meaningful benches -- one in memory of the late SSgt. William Nathaniel "Nate" Howard and the other honoring SSgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, two Army National Guardsmen who were killed while serving their country in Palmyra, Syria last December.

Howard hailed from Marshalltown, graduated from MHS and worked at Emerson, while Torres-Tovar was from Des Moines. Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Commandant Todd Jacobus spoke of the way Iowans came together to support the families of both soldiers since that horrible day last December and honor their memory. On Christmas Eve 2025, for example, thousands of people gathered along Highway 30 for a procession as Howard's body was transferred from Des Moines to Mitchell Family Funeral Home on Iowa Avenue in Marshalltown.

Jacobus credited Marshall County Veterans Affairs Director Kevin Huseboe with making him aware that inmate workers with Iowa Prison Industries had fabricated the two benches.

"I share that with you because it's unusual that we're gonna get something like this coming out of our prisons, but they honor and respect those who serve. And I think it's so incredible that they made this commitment to fabricate these benches for us," Jacobus said.

When Huseboe contacted him last week, the commandant said it was an easy decision to accept the benches, and they determined that putting them in front of the administration building would constitute the first phase of a planned renovation project to modernize the space.

"These will be in their memory here for generations to come, and I can't think of a more fitting place to be than right here in front of the Sheeler building and on this campus where almost 20,000 Iowans have called this campus their final home, Iowans who served and their spouses," Jacobus said.

Huseboe spoke next and told the crowd he had been in contact with Howard's family and his widow Arianna ever since the day of his passing to ensure they were taken care of, and he expressed his gratitude to IVH for accepting the benches.

Howard's stepfather Jeff Bunn then came forward and commented that he had always seen Nate as "his son and nothing less than that" while thanking those who made time to attend the ceremony. Bunn, a retired police chief who served both the State Center and Meskwaki Nation departments locally, recounted receiving the news of Howard's death from one of his best friends, a longtime law enforcement colleague.

He described the outpouring of support from the community as "nothing short of a miracle" and praised Rep. David Blom (R-Marshalltown) for his effort to get a stretch of Highway 30 that runs through town named after Howard.

"I almost feel like I have a lot of Jesus around me all the time," Bunn said. "And I will be going to thank those inmates in Fort Dodge for what they did because they need to know."

Howard's grandmother Ruth Roelsgard, who worked at IVH as a nurse for over 40 years, described both he and Torres-Tovar as "amazing young men" who had a purpose and believed in it.

"We are so grateful that he knew Jesus, and he's in heaven. And we will see him again someday," she said.

Martin Roelsgard, Ruth's husband, noted that he and Nate's other grandfather Gene Neville were both Army veterans, which inspired him to follow in their footsteps.

"He made us very proud with his service and information we have learned since his passing. He had just become an outstanding young soldier, and we are grateful for that," Martin Roelsgard said.

Neville said that anyone who didn't know Nate missed knowing "a terrific person and a terrific soldier" and thanked the service organizations that helped his family through a trying period. Howard and Torres-Tovar have received many posthumous honors since their deaths last December, and after Wednesday's ceremony, they will be remembered eternally on a campus dedicated entirely to honoring Iowa veterans.

Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.