(Adair County, Iowa) – In honor of Memorial Day, Greenfield artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen is repainting the 12-foot tall, approximately 60–90-ton boulder located south of Interstate 80 at Exit 86,  to pay tribute to our military men and women.
Sorensen started painting the original Freedom Rock® the second week of May and plans to be finished by Memorial Day 2023.

Sorensen says “For the 25th version of the original Freedom Rock®, rather than a collection of random Veterans stories, I wanted a constant theme all the way around the giant boulder. Also, since the original Freedom Rock is visited by all 50 states and many other countries, I consider it, “America’s Rock”, and I didn’t focus on Iowa Veterans, rather, the Veteran’s incredible stories.

2023 FreedomRock

“This year’s version,” Sorensen says, “is of Medal of Honor recipients who gave their life in service to our country. For each recipient I’ve illustrated their Portrait, a freeze frame of what their action may have been like, their Medal, and their gravestone. It starts on the front (highway facing side) with WWI Veteran, Freddie Stowers, moves to the south side (gravel road facing) with WWII Veteran Samuel D. Dealey, then on to Korean War Veteran Jack Glennon Hanson, then on to a couple of Vietnam Veterans William H. Pitsenbarger and Miguel Keith, and finally, ending back on the front side with Afghanistan Veteran and Navy Seal Michael Murphy.

“All these men accomplished amazing feats in the face of overwhelming odds to save the lives of their brothers-in-arms, truly going above and beyond the call of duty.” Sorensen is not commissioned for his work on the original Freedom Rock® in Menlo, Iowa but works as an independent mural artist having completed the Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour last September. Sorensen is working on the 50 State Freedom Rock Tour. He says “I always say I have three goals with ‘The Freedom Rock® Tour’ and that is to honor America’s Veterans, promote tourism and provide for my family.”

Sorensen’s oldest two children, Indie and Michael, enjoy helping him in the early stages of many Freedom Rocks® including the original, filling in sketched areas at his discretion, and his littlest, Liberty, has even scribbled a bit of paint on as well.

For a list of the Tour and other info, please visit www.thefreedomrock.com. Sorensen plans to be at The Freedom Rock® over Memorial Day weekend, including Memorial Day to meet with visitors. Calendars as well as other merchandise are also available to help offset costs for the original Freedom Rock® project.