Please join the Preston Legion Post 602, Miles Legion Post 677, Preston Amvets Post 140, Spragueville Legion Post 590, and the Sabula Legion Post 74 for a Veterans Day program titled “One Man, Three Wars, One Legacy – the Story of the life Kenneth L. Strom, CMSGT US Army, Air Force.
The program will be presented by Carolyn Grant. It will be held at the Easton Valley High School in Preston on Monday, November 11, 2024, at 10:00 AM. All Veterans and the public are invited to attend.
The late Chief Master Sergeant Kenneth L. Strom was a 31-year veteran of the Army and Air Force who served during three wars – WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. We will hear a little of what it was like to be a part of a military family. Kenneth L. Strom returned from WWII Germany as a highly decorated combat veteran earning the Combat Infantry Badge and the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained while under hostile fire.
Like so many others, he started to settle into civilian life while serving in the Iowa National Guard. He married a local Preston girl, Doris Hoenicke and was looking forward to starting a family and going to Business College but duty would call, and he was called back to active service. The mission – to guard our Northeast border in Maine across the border from Canada. His new bride Doris would join him. Doris’s introduction to military life was living in a rustic Deer Camp converted into a small outpost in the middle of the winter. And so started the military adventures of Ken and Doris Strom and their family.
During Ken’s 31 years of serving as an officer in the military, Ken and Doris enjoyed traveling when Ken was off duty. They would visit 25 different foreign countries and visit every state in the United States. During his career, Chief Master Sergeant Kenneth Strom would be awarded 12 medals including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge, 4 awards, and several promotions. He achieved the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer, Chief Master Sargeant during his military career. Please join us as Carolyn Grant shares the story of this great military family who would later call Preston home and operate Preston’s local restaurant, the Hometown Café.
The Easton Valley Band and Chorus will be presenting musical selections, and the local American Legion and Amvet Honor Guards will be in attendance.
The presentation will be given by Carolyn Grant. Carolyn is a member of the Preston Legion Post 602 Auxiliary; the Preston Honor Walk Committee and is an active supporter of the Preston American Legion Post 602. She is the daughter of Legion Post 602 Commander Stephen Trenkamp and a 1983 graduate of Preston High School and Mount St. Clare College. Carolyn has been employed for the State of Iowa Judicial Branch for 22 years including both the Jackson and Clinton County Clerk of Court offices.
In the afternoon, a Veterans Day Salute will be presented by the students of Easton Valley Elementary at the Easton Valley Elementary in Miles, IA. This program will be begin at 1:30 pm. The public is encouraged and invited to attend either or both programs.
