Bridge dedicated to fallen trooper

Ten Iowa State Patrolmen have been killed in the line of duty since the inception of the State Patrol in 1935. Wednesday, the final trooper was honored at a bridge dedication in Red Oak.

The Harold Klinkefus Memorial Bridge, as it will henceforth be called, spans the Nishnabotna River on Hwy 34 just east of Hwy 48.

Harold Klinkefus was 34-years-old when he was killed after being jackknifed by a tractor-trailer on Hwy 34 near Red Oak May 19, 1949. Originally from Harlan, Klinkefus was living in Atlantic at the time of his death, leaving behind a wife and two young sons.

Ed Klinkefus, Harold’s youngest and only still living son, along with several other relatives were present at the dedication ceremony.

While only six-years-old when his father was killed, Ed, a retired businessman from Colorado, remembers what it was like to be the son of state trooper.

“He was stern and strict but loving,” he recalled. “He knew with his station in life as a patrolman he couldn’t have his kids running crazy in the streets.”

Ed recounted a memory of his father from when he was about five-years-old. It was a Sunday and his family was in their personal car with his mother driving when another car sped past them. So upset by the speeding driver, his father took control of the steering wheel and chased down the car. Since he was off duty, Harold couldn’t give the driver a ticket, but he did give him a long lecture, according to Ed.

“My brother and I hung out the back window watching the whole time,” Ed said. “We thought it was pretty neat.”

Ed also remembered how at his father’s funeral — an extremely rainy day — hundreds of people attended. He recalled seeing three or four miles of cars processing from the church in Atlantic to the cemetery in Jacksonville.

Harold served in the Army Air Corp. during World War II and was discharged for medical reasons after 18 months. He then immediately entered the Iowa Highway Patrol, as it was then called.

“It’s quite an honor,” Ed said about the bridge dedication. “He would be pleased.”

Of the 10 fallen Iowa troopers, two others besides Harold were in the Southwest Iowa region. Lance Dietsch and Stanley Gerling were killed in 1989 while searching in an aircraft for an elderly man in Cass County who had wandered off. About to give up the search, the man was spotted and they made a sudden turn, crashing vertically into the ground.  

Dietsch and Gerling have bridges in their honor along Hwy 6 in near Lewis.

Harold was the last fallen trooper to have a bridge dedication, according to Lt. Michael Miller.

“This has been a long time coming,” Miller said. “I was worried not many people would come since it happened so long ago. So, I’m really pleased so many of his family members are here.”