Thanks to Sybil-Ann for making us aware of this awesome tribute to our heroes
The Freedom Rock (established in 1999) is a large (approx. 60+ ton) boulder located in rural Iowa that is repainted every year with a different Thank You for our nations Veterans to honor their service to our country. The artist, Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, was inspired by the movie Saving Private Ryan, as well as, wanting to give Veterans a unique recognition on Memorial Day.
Sorensen paints The Freedom Rock on his own with the tremendous support of family and friends. Sorensen is not commissioned to paint the rock but is able to do so each year with the generous help of donations.
While painting murals across the country Sorensen had the idea of spreading the message of The Freedom Rock to other small communities across Iowa. The idea in part came from the 99 county tours that both Sen. Grassley and journalist Kyle Munson took part in, and so the Freedom Rock Tour was born.
For the next few summers Sorensen and his family will travel the state of Iowa to put a (smaller and unique to their area) Freedom Rock in each county. As the Iowa Freedom Rock Tour is about to conclude in the fall of 2020, Bubba has started the 50 State Freedom Rock Tour and is now booking across the country.
During the winter months Sorensen can be found painting indoor murals (or in warm climates outdoor murals). He was also recently elected as an Iowa Legislator and works for House District 20 at the State Capitol from January through the end of session in May (usually).