In Maryville, the draped American flag symbolizes freedom and the sacrifice of those serving in the military branches or as first responders, and it is artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen's signature design. Nathaniel Sisson sounded the last bugle of the last charge of the Civil War; his bugle is in the Smithsonian Institute, and he lived in Maryville many years and is buried in Miriam Cemetery. The Flying Bearcats were an aviation training unit formed at Northwest Missouri State University during World War II. Gold Star Mother recognizes the sacrifice of mothers who lost a son or daughter in war, and many in Nodaway County wore the star or placed it in a window of their homes, a practice that began in World War I and continues today. The National Guard 129th Field Artillery Regiment is based in Maryville and has a long history in defense of the country; Edward Condon, the unit's World War I commander, became commander of the entire National Guard, and President Harry Truman was an officer. Lieutenant Albert David was born July 18, 1902, in Maryville and was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading a party of sailors who boarded and captured the German submarine U-505 during World War II, the first such capture since 1815; he was the only naval Medal of Honor recipient in the Atlantic theater during the war. The Missouri was the Iowa-class battleship that served with distinction in several wars, and Japanese officials surrendered on the Missouri in 1945, ending World War II in the Pacific. Sheriff Earl Anderson was a popular sheriff of Nodaway County when he died in an automobile crash while assisting in the hunt for an armed robber.