Iowa State to honor students in Gold Star Hall Ceremony

AMES, Iowa - James Herrick, Jr. was on a reconnaissance mission in 1969 when the plane he was piloting was lost near the North Vietnam border and he was never seen again. Six years later, the Iowa State University graduate was declared killed in action.

Herrick is one of three former Iowa State students who will have their stories shared during the annual Gold Star Hall ceremony. This year's ceremony will take place at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Durham Great Hall in the Memorial Union.

The Gold Star Hall Ceremony, which was started in 2003, is a way to remember and honor Iowa State students who died while serving their country. The names of these students are inscribed on the walls of Gold Star Hall near the north entrance of the Memorial Union. Each year, the ceremony committee selects a group of students to recognize with narratives about their lives before the war and their experiences during the war.

This year's three honorees include Army 1st Lt. Sidney Peterson, who served in World War II and died after taking on anti-aircraft fire aboard a B-26 Marauder; Air Force 2nd Lt. Max Harvey Collins, who died when his aircraft crashed on takeoff during the Korean War; and Air Force Capt. James Wayne Herrick, Jr. (see sidebar for individual stories).

Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen, Memorial Union Director Chad Garland, ISU Student Veteran Brandon Culwell, and Chair and Professor of Military Science, Army Lt. Col. Frank Sperl will speak during the ceremony. There will be performances by an ISU student string quartet, ROTC Air Force Cadet Choir and an Iowa Army National Guard Band bugler. The personal narratives will be read by three military veterans.

Iowa State's Memorial Union was built in 1928 as a memorial to Iowa Staters who died in World War I. It has continued to be a living memorial for students who died in future conflicts and names have been added to the walls of Gold Star Hall throughout the years.