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Freedom Rock in Wrangell is complete, waiting for site prep and installation this fall
- Wrangell Sentinel
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By Jonathon Dawe
Wrangell Sentinel
Alaska’s first official Freedom Rock honoring veterans is painted and ready in a secure building at the Marine Service Center while awaiting setup at its future home at City Park.
The painting took just two weeks. Now moving the 6-foot boulder will present its own challenge, said J.R. Meek, marketing and community development coordinator for the borough.
Iowa artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, who the borough hired to paint the memorial, advised against applying any protective spray or sealant to the rock. The Wrangell artwork is his 11th Freedom Rock around the country.
“He also told us not to use any blankets or things like bubble wrap on the surface, because it might damage the paint,” Meek said of the move. “So, the real challenge will be transporting it. We’re going to have to get something worked out for that.”
Site preparation is underway at City Park. Borough crews recently poured a concrete pad where the boulder will sit on a metal bracket with legs. Plans also call for a protective shelter over the rock and a perimeter fence to prevent people from climbing on it.
“The Freedom Rock will be permanently installed in City Park later this year, with an official community unveiling planned this fall,” Meek said in a Facebook post last week.
Sorensen began painting July 22 and finished Aug. 1. Meek said the artist started working immediately upon arrival because crews had already pressure-washed and sandblasted the surface.
The front of the artwork honors the Alaska Native Tlingit Code Talkers. Sorensen explained in his Freedom Rock Facebook posting: “During World War II, Tlingit servicemen used their native language to transmit military communications that enemy forces were unable to decipher. Like the more widely known Navajo Code Talkers, their service remained largely secret for many years after the war.”
One side of the rock features veteran Matt More, a former teacher and now Wrangell police officer. “I had the privilege of spending time with Matt, including riding along with him while he was on duty,” Sorensen wrote. “Hearing his story inspired this image — not of combat, but of something every service member understands: family.”
The other side is a tribute to the late Sgt. Harold M. Snoddy, of Wrangell, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second-highest award for valor, for his actions in battle and rescuing wounded soldiers during fighting in the Vietnam War in 1969. Snoddy died in December 2023.
The back of the rock features tributes to two more veterans: Louis F. Paul Jr., of Wrangell, who was killed near the end of World War II when his aircraft crashed after operations in Italy, and Mark Owen, the pen name of former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette, who grew up in rural Alaska and who participated in the 2011 mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.
“I think this is probably one of the fastest borough projects to be accomplished in a while,” Meeks said of the rock, which took only a few months from the start of planning to completion. “Everything went smoothly, and this was truly a community project because so many people helped.”
The borough started planning work on the project late this past spring. At the time, officials estimated the total cost — Sorensen’s fees and materials, and building a viewing platform and covering — would come to about $54,000, which includes staff time on the job.
• This story originally appeared in the Wrangell Sentinel.
