Community gathers at Freedom Foundation to salute a century of life and service
CEDAR RAPIDS — Family members, friends and fellow veterans filled the Freedom Foundation on Thursday to celebrate Laverne Severson, a World War II line medic who will turn 100 years old on July 14. The event was part celebration and part public reminder that the generation that fought in World War II is rapidly disappearing.
Severson served in the Philippines as a line medic. Those who attended said hearing his memories in person was a rare opportunity; national estimates put surviving World War II veterans at a fraction of their original numbers. As one relative at the event noted, the veteran population in Iowa is now measured in the low hundreds.
- Date of upcoming birthday: July 14
- Honoring location: Freedom Foundation, Cedar Rapids
- Role in war: Line medic, stationed in the Philippines
Severson recounted how quickly he was sent overseas after turning 18. His son, Boyd Severson, shared recollections his father told him about life on base and the daily danger from air raids. Boyd emphasized the urgency of recognizing the remaining veterans in Iowa while they can still tell their stories.
“His base over there, he told me they would get air raids every morning. The Japanese would do an air raid and they’d have to run and jump into their foxholes. And this is stuff you see in movies, and he actually lived through this,” Boyd Severson said.
Event organizers and staff framed the celebration as both tribute and living history. Eric Parker, assistant director of the Freedom Foundation, said public gatherings like Thursday’s serve to preserve memory and build a legacy for future generations.
“As long as we are allowed to still be graced with their presence, then we need to just soak that up and just be really thankful,” Parker said.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Veteran | Laverne Severson |
| Birthday | July 14 (turning 100) |
| Service | Line medic, stationed in the Philippines |
Boyd put the local dimension of the loss into numbers, noting there are an estimated 250 to 275 surviving World War II veterans remaining in Iowa. That statistic, he said, underlines why small ceremonies — not just large memorials — matter to families and communities.
The mood at the Freedom Foundation blended gratitude with wistfulness. Attendees listened to stories, posed for photos and remained aware that the chance to speak directly with a World War II veteran is becoming rare. When asked about the secret to reaching a century, Severson smiled and offered a simple answer: "Crackers and peanut butter in the morning for breakfast!"
For Cedar Rapids, events like this one are part of how the city and surrounding counties reckon with living memory: honoring service, recording testimony and passing lessons along to younger residents. The Freedom Foundation and local veterans groups continue to host programs and gatherings intended to make those opportunities for connection available while they remain.
As the number of surviving WWII veterans declines nationwide, communities across Iowa are re-focusing on immediate, local acts of remembrance — recognizing that personal stories told in a hall or at a kitchen table often carry the most direct weight for family members and neighbors.
