A flag honoring the late Msgr. Robert “Bob” Spiegel is seen in downtown Oskaloosa last month. The diocesan priest served 31 years as a National Guard and U.S. Army chaplain.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
OSKALOOSA — A flag flying over the bandstand in downtown Oskaloosa earlier this year featured a face familiar to local Catholics: Msgr. Robert “Bob” Spiegel. The diocesan priest served 31 years as a National Guard and U.S. Army chaplain.
The Bandstand Flag program, an outreach of Langkamp Funeral Chapel and Crematory in Oskaloosa, regularly honors local veterans for their service. Msgr. Bob, who passed away last fall at 85, was the January-February honoree. Community members can nominate veterans through the funeral chapel’s website. The Langkamps learned of Msgr. Bob’s service while working on his funeral arrangements, and nominated him personally. “We knew he deserved to be honored,” said Shawn Langkamp, an administrative assistant for the funeral chapel. The award is not exclusive to veterans who use the funeral chapel services, she added, “but to all veterans in our community and beyond.”
Msgr. Bob is one of three brothers ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Davenport. Fathers Tom and John Spiegel served as parish pastors and are now retired.
Father Tom submitted a photo of Msgr. Bob to the Langkamps to be used on the banner, though he said the finished product was a surprise. Father John noticed the flag while walking through town, and snapped a photo. “I was pleased that this recognition was afforded to him,” Father John said.
Born in Burlington, Bob was active in the Boy Scouts and earned Eagle Scout rank at the age of 15. While studying liberal arts at St. Ambrose College (now University) in Davenport, he felt a calling to the priesthood. He completed theology studies at Mount Saint Bernard Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1966, and was ordained the same year at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
Then-Father Bob began his priestly ministry as a school chaplain, first at Aquinas High School in Fort Madison and later at Assumption High School in Davenport. The Assumption principal, who happened to serve as a National Guard chaplain, told Father Bob about two open Army National Guard chaplaincies in southeast Iowa. The young priest’s excitement was palpable when he called Father Tom to say, “Guess what? I’m going to join the National Guard!” Father Tom wasn’t surprised. “It’s something he always wanted to do.” That joy rubbed off on his brother, who also joined the National Guard as a chaplain. Father Bob initially served in Davenport, while Father Tom served in Fairfield.
Father Bob graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Leavenworth, Kansas. Later, he entered active duty with the U.S. Army and studied at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. While serving the Catholic community at Youngsan Army Garrison in Seoul, South Korea, the honor of monsignor was conferred upon him. He became a colonel after 16 years in the Army. “That usually only happens after you serve 20 years or more,” Father Tom said. “All his life, he was a fast climber!”
Msgr. Bob retired from the military around the age of 70 after serving as a chaplain in Germany. Not long after, a general there asked if he’d consider coming back. “He said, ‘Okay,’ and went back for four more years,” Father Tom recalled. “That’s the kind of (chaplain) he was,” and a testament to “how good he was.”
In a message posted on a tribute section of the Langkamp website, Father Donald Van Alstyne, MIC, a retired Army chaplain who served with Father Bob, paid homage to his colleague.
“Msgr. Spiegel was an inspiration as a pastor and leader in Germany,” wrote Father Van Alstyne. “He was also a mentor as I was going through the ranks.”
After retirement, Msgr. Bob he moved to Oskaloosa to live with Father Tom. Father John, previously of Montrose, moved to Oskaloosa after Msgr. Bob’s passing last year.
Msgr. Bob was beloved by those he served, Father Tom believes. “Whenever I would visit him, you knew he was a meaningful person not just for the troops, but for the officers. They thought the world of him.”
Father Tom is grateful that his brother’s legacy continues to inspire those who knew him. “I was really so proud of Bob.”
