“For Thee they died, Master and Maker, God of Right, the Soldier dead are at Thy gate, who kept the spears of honor bright, and Freedom’s house inviolate.”

Under John Drinkwater’s words in the Gold Star Hall of the Memorial Union reside two new memorials to those who have sacrificed their lives in war.

Two of former ISU sculptor-in-residence Christian Petersen’s most famous works have been bronzed and will be on display until April 23 in the Memorial Union. “Men of Two Wars” features an accurately depicted World War I soldier dying while a World War II soldier kneels down and looks forward, and “Price of Victory” depicts a soldier moments after a bullet impacts his chest.

“This is a very organized composition – the figure of the World War I soldier looks up and taking one last glance forward, while the World War II soldier looks forward and seemingly accepts the challenge ahead with a grim expression,” said Lea Rosson DeLong, author of the book “Christian Petersen, Sculptor.”

DeLong said in many ways, war was a part of Petersen’s life from nearly the beginning.

“Petersen’s family immigrated to America from Denmark after war between Prussia and the Danes,” DeLong said. “His family feared their three children might be drafted into the Prussian army after the war, and so at age 9, Petersen’s family left.”

Petersen came to artistic maturity during World War I, and his most important works dealt with it.

Petersen was not a pacifist, but he emphasized the realities of war, and he was very accurate in his craft, DeLong said.

“You will notice that it appears as if the task is passed on to the World War II soldier from the World War I,” DeLong said.

DeLong said the themes of never-ending conflict and one war only leading to another were common in Petersen’s works.

Florine Swanson, college development officer with the Iowa State Foundation, said these statues reminded her of her father’s experience in war.

“We knew we wanted to do something, and this just really seemed to fit,” Swanson said.

Swanson was recognized in the dedication ceremony as being integral in the development of these statues and was thanked by Memorial Union director Richard Reynolds.

Christian Petersen was the sculptor-in-resident at Iowa State from 1934 to 1955, and his statues can be seen throughout Iowa State’s campus, including the Fountain of the Four Seasons and the statue of George Washington Carver outside of Carver hall.

“Petersen was the very first artist-in-resident at a public university in the entire country, and it was at a land-grant technical school,” said Lynette Pohlman, director of University Museums.

Pohlman said the original plaster sculptures Petersen made were intended to be bronzed at some point in the future.

“At the time of their creation, there simply wasn’t the money to bronze these, but we can tell that he did intend for them to be bronzed because of the color of his plaster sculptures,” Pohlman said.

Pohlman said other Petersen plaster sculptures that have been created at Iowa State were made in the same way, and based on the color of the plaster sculptures, we know what materials Petersen intended them to be made of.

“These colors were intentional. For example, we know what he intended the fountain sculptures to be made of terra-cotta based on the color of his plaster works,” Pohlman said.

Swanson said she hopes the statues are appreciated by students and remind them of sacrifices others have made, and she feels lucky that as a mother she has not had to worry about her children being in harms way.

“I think they are very relevant now what with the war going on, I just hope students appreciate them and the people they depict,” Swanson said.