The combat veteran would go on to serve as mayor of Fort Dodge for 12 years. Then he was a district court judge, and later, chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals.

His legacy of service will be remembered in at least one very visible place — the bridge on First Avenue South.

At the conclusion of Friday’s Veterans Day observance at St. Edmond Catholic School, it was announced that the bridge will be renamed the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Tom Dorsey, the adjutant of American Legion Post 190, read the resolution the City Council will approve tonight, officially renaming the bridge.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
McKenna Dillard, a student at St. Edmond Catholic School, explains why Veterans Day is held on Nov. 11 every year. She said that World War I ended on Nov. 11, 1918. That day, she said, was celebrated as Armistice Day and became today's Veterans Day. Tom Dorsey, the adjutant of American Legion Post 190, stands next to her.

Habhab then received a standing ovation from the members of the public and St. Edmond students who filled the school’s auditorium.

It was a surprise ending to a traditional community salute to those who have served in the military.

“Veterans come in all sizes and shapes — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard — but the one thing we have in common is that we challenged ourselves at a very young age to serve our country by joining the military,” said Mark Thompson, a retired Marine Corps colonel from Clarion, who was the event’s keynote speaker.

St. Edmond Catholic School student McKenna Dillard started the observance by explaining why Veterans Day is always commemorated on Nov. 11 of each year. She said that on Nov. 11, 1918, World War I ended. The day was then celebrated as Armistice Day and evolved into today’s Veterans Day.

Dillard then joined her fellow band members in playing patriotic music, including the national anthem and a medley of all of the armed forces songs.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Mark Thompson, a retired Marine Corps colonel from Clarion, speaks during Friday's Veterans Day ceremony at St. Edmond Catholic School.

Thompson recounted how he started in the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but dropped out. He then enlisted in the Marine Corps, completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

“I believed in what I was doing and, more importantly, I believed in the Marines I was serving with,” he said.

Thompson offered this advice to the students in the auditorium: “The decisions you make today have an impact on your entire life. Please take them seriously..”

“Failure is only failure if you quit,” he added.

The colorguard of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1856 opened and closed the event with flag ceremonies.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Al Habhab, a World War II Army veteran who was the mayor of Fort Dodge and later chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals, listens during the Veterans Day ceremony Friday at St. Edmond Catholic School. During the ceremony, Tom Dorsey, the adjutant of American Legion Post 190, announced that the Fort Dodge City Council intends to rename the bridge on First Avenue South as the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge in his honor.

In addition to the band music, the seventh- and eighth-grade choir sang during the Veterans Day observance.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Al Habhab, seated, a World War II Army veteran who was the mayor of Fort Dodge and chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals, receives a standing ovation during the Veterans Day ceremony Friday after it was announced that the bridge on First Avenue South would be named the Albert Habhab Veterans Memorial Bridge in his honor. Patrick Hickey, left, a Marine Corps veteran from Fort Dodge, and Mayor Matt Bemrich joined in the ovation.