A bridge in eastern Iowa has been named in honor of the late Chuck Geertz, a local veteran and founder of Healing at English River Outfitters (HERO). The efforts began this summer with the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors unanimously approving a request to name the Highway 22 bridge over the Cedar River in Geertz’s honor. That resolution then went to the Iowa Department of Transportation for consideration and state approval. The DOT approved the measure and a memorial sign is now in place at the bridge.

HERO is located in Washington County and the non-profit provides services for veterans to connect with others through hunting, fishing, and camping retreats.

Geertz was an Army and Marine veteran. On his way home from a veterans rally in Colorado in August of 2019, he died after a motorcycle wreck in Kansas City and was escorted home by hundreds of motorcycles and emergency vehicles lining the highways along the route.