The traveling Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor will come to Oswego for an 11-day stay in May, officials announced this week.
The Wall of Honor, a tribute to members of the military who have died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was scheduled to be on display in the atrium of Oswego Village Hall in May 2020, as part of Memorial Day commemorations.
The Oswego Honors Veterans Committee postponed the exhibit last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers decided to plan for the exhibit when Gov. J.B. Pritzker rolled back some of the restrictions in the state due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Local organizers for the Wall of Honor announced Tuesday that the dates have been formally set and that the exhibit will run from May 21 through Memorial Day, May 31.
Members of the Oswego Honors Veterans Committee are excited about the upcoming exhibit.
“This event has been a long time in the making and it is finally in front of us now,” Kris Kearns, a veteran and member of the committee, said.
The exhibit will be open to the public 24 hours a day at Oswego Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill. This will be the first time the Wall of Honor has traveled outside of its home state of Oregon.
The wall will be escorted to town by the Marine Vets Motorcycle Club, as well as by area police and fire departments and other agencies, on May 21. An opening ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. May 22.
“The opening ceremony will have a different meaning for people. It will be an emotional time for veterans who served during Desert Storm, Desert Shield, in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Kearns said.
The closing ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. May 31, Memorial Day.
“We thought it would be fitting to actually end the exhibit on Memorial Day,” Kearns said.
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Final details of both the opening and closing ceremonies are being planned, he said.
The Memorial Day observance in Oswego on May 31 will begin with the American Legion Post 675 Oswego’s parade and graveside observances in Oswego Township Cemetery. The 2020 parade was canceled due to the pandemic.
Kearns served in the United States Marine Corps in Desert Storm and Desert Shield from 1989 to 1993.
“We hope bringing the Wall of Honor to Oswego will help bring closure for veterans who served in the Middle East or who have service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and their names are on the wall,” Kearns said.
Organizers hope the exhibit will bring closure to families as well.
“A lot of times we tend to overlook the sacrifice the families have made,” Kearns said.
Village officials said pandemic health regulations will be followed during the exhibit.
For more information on the exhibit, go to the Oswego Honors Veterans Facebook page at facebook.com/oswegohonorsveterans.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.