Message From Our Chaplain

Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460

Veteran-Owned and Serving You Since 1902

At Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460, we know how much it means to serve. As a veteran-owned organization, we are committed to meeting the needs of those in our community. We’ve been open since 1902, and that means we’ve spent over 120 years helping people right here in Solon, IA.

As part of our mission, we are open to the public for meals, special events, and more. To learn more about Solon American Legion Stinocher Post 460 and what we’re all about, read this recent letter from our chaplain from December 2024.

A Message From Chaplain Doug Thompson

When I look upon the American flag I focus on five of the stars in the upper corner on the field of blue. Each of those stars represent one of my buddies. When I gaze upon those five special stars my heart still aches, and other times a slight smile betrays the memories of our shared laughter. Those memories and the ability to visit them at their respective grave sites has given me solace. 

There's another flag that is impactful to me and it contains only one white star. This flag should remind all of us that there are thousands of families across this nation who have no grave site to visit. The flag that I am referring to is the POW-MIA flag. The stark black and white colors of POW-MIA flag represent the feelings of loss and hope.

On the island of Honolulu, Hawaii the remains of unknown service members are buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also known as the Punchbowl). The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is tasked with the horrendous job of trying to identify the remains of those service personnel who died for our freedoms, and to give their families some modicum of closure.

On April 13, 2023, through DNA mitochondrial analysis Marine Sgt Robert Van Heck's remains were identified. He was given a full military internment rite on January 7, 2025, in Hillside, Illinois.

On Christmas day 1943 Van Heck's family received a letter from Robert. In his letter he wrote these prophetic words, “Don't count on me coming home this spring as we had planned.” Less than 30 minutes later Robert's father received a telegram with the harsh reality that his son Robert was “KILLED IN ACTION” confirming Robert's sense of doom. 

Robert Van Heck a Chicago resident was 25 years old when he was killed on the small island of Betio; a small island that is part of the Gilbert Island chain. Sgt Robert Van Heck was killed on the first day of the battle known as the Battle of Tarawa. He was one of the 1,000 Marines and Corpsmen who were killed on Nov 20, 1943, on Betio Island. Among those 1,000 men, 350 are still unaccounted for. The remains of men killed during the Battle of Tarawa are still being discovered due to storms and construction projects. These remains are turned over to the DPAA, where there is hope that they can be identified. At this writing there are over 70,000 WW II remains of U.S. service men yet to be identified.

Freedom is costly, Gold Star families and those families with missing are still paying for that freedom. The pain that these families carry is immeasurable, and we as a nation should never take our freedom for granted. We should always show respect for the American and the POW-MIA flags because these flags are national symbols of tribute to the missing, deceased, and to their families. 

I encourage each of you to take the time to teach what these symbols of freedom mean, and to say thank you when you gaze upon them. For those of you who have lost a buddy, family member, or a friend, I urge you to select from the 50 stars of the American flag a special star to represent that person. By doing so, that star will help to bring you healing, I know this firsthand.



Doug Thompson, Chaplain

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