Montana Freedom Memorial
This Freedom Memorial was built by the efforts of Rick Baker, Ken Callahan, and a team of community members and businesses to memorialize the Montana men and women soldiers who were casualties from Afghanistan, Iraq, and other U.S. conflicts.
In 2020, Baker, a combat soldier, recognized the lack of recognition for Montana soldier casualties, especially those who had served in the Middle East, and was inspired by Sgt. Terry Lynch, Baker, created Hoodies for Heroes and began selling sweatshirts with the names of fallen soldiers. With his family’s help, he began raising money to build a permanent memorial.
On Veterans Day of 2022, while at a Hoodies for Heroes fundraising event hosted by Texas Roadhouse, Baker met Ken Callahan, a U.S. Army veteran, who had worked on a similar project in Williston, N.D. The two men joined forces, with Baker’s vision and dedication complementing Callahan’s ability to gather the right people and raise money. Together, they formed a team that selflessly donated time, materials, and money to build this beautiful memorial.
In 2023, a 501(c)(3) was formed, with a board of directors and committees. Randy Stiles, a former combat soldier, along with Baker and Callahan, met with Mayor Bill Cole to begin to gather community support, with help from Billings Parks and Rec and the City. After looking at over 80 parks in Billings, Baker, and Callahan, the Hoodies for Heroes board chose Dehler Park as the monument’s home, allowing the team to begin planning.
Montana’s U.S. Senator, Steve Daines, believed in this memorial project and allowed his staff to help from the beginning. Mike Waters and, later, Jeremy Dewell, both U.S. veterans who served in the Middle East, helped ensure a comprehensive list of Montana casualties for this Freedom Memorial.
On May 28, 2024, they broke ground and planned a public ribbon cutting for Veterans Day 2024. Numerous hours were spent on the memorial’s design and drafts with Simonsen Architect, led by Eric Simonsen and Thom Greenwood. Dave Resch and his team from Knife River began site work and donated concrete for the memorial. At the same time, Scott Aspenlieder from Performance Engineering volunteered to provide civil engineering and surveying for the project.
Aspenlieder and Bill Kennedy lent their expertise to aid Callahan and Baker in the many hours of fundraising, planning, and strategizing for the project. Montana-Dakota Utilities, Callahan’s employer, allowed him the time to work on the memorial, ensuring it came to fruition. Baker’s own company, Metal Tech, provided the custom metalwork, completing his vision for the Freedom Memorial.
Chris and Houston Bauer volunteered their labor and materials to serve as the general contractors, helping the project reach completion in an abbreviated timeframe. Geoff Wendt of 4G Structural Engineering stepped in as the team’s structural engineer, while Jeff Gruizenga of Con’eer Engineering joined as electrical engineer. Ed Gayda and Tyler Lee of LG Electric lent their expertise to wire and light the memorial, and Richard and Alicia Eyre of Countertoppers donated labor for the granite finishes. Dustin Devlin with Devlin Contracting added the concrete carvings and finishing touches for the memorial.
Nels Houghton of NKH Controls developed the interactive kiosk system, designed to allow visitors to learn about and personalize each fallen Montana soldier and family members, and to provide a space to honor their loved ones. With integrated digital mapping, each veteran has a biography and photo, honoring the courageous heroes with an interactive tribute that celebrates their valor and sacrifice. Houghton, along with Shawn McNeil of Bullseye Electrical, Kelli Settell of TMMI/Emerson, and MSG USAF Ret. Charlie Rogers crafted the system to honor Montana’s fallen heroes, which can add names if needed.
On November 11, 2024, this Freedom Memorial was commemorated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Through the efforts of the companies listed and the dream and vision of Sgt. Rick Baker and the leadership of Sgt. Ken Callahan and the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice have been memorialized forever on this sit
