For Aaron Blaylock, attending Chicago’s Memorial Day ceremonies has been an annual tradition ever since he retired from his service in the Air Force Reserve in 1984.
Blaylock, a 67-year-old living in Bronzeville, said that although he served in a time of peace, he had many friends who lost their lives in the line of duty. He said that those attending Memorial Day events help keep the memory of his friends alive.
“It means a lot that they remember us,” Blaylock said.
Blaylock was one of a few hundred people who lined the streets in the Loop Saturday morning for the city’s Memorial Day ceremonies, which take place before the annual parade to honor military members who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Mayor Brandon Johnson, military leaders and those who have lost a family member in service spoke about the sacrifice of those the holiday remembers.
“Though we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude that we owe to them, we can honor their sacrifice by carrying out their legacy and doing it together,” Johnson said.
Jean Harris lost her stepson, Army Sgt. Joshua Harris, during his service in Afghanistan in 2008. Harris said that for her and other members of Gold Star Families — those who have lost a family member in active-duty military service — remembrance of loved ones and their service isn’t limited to Memorial Day.
“Every milestone that they do not get to take part in — a child’s graduation, sibling’s wedding, an anniversary — is every moment your loved one is missed,” Harris said. “It doesn’t matter how many years have passed. They are missed every single day.”
Harris added that just as it was her stepson’s duty to serve, it’s the public’s duty to remember those who lost their lives.
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She, Johnson and military personnel in Daley Plaza laid four wreaths representing the U.S. Armed Forces, Gold Star Families, and service members who are prisoners of war or missing in action. Laying the wreaths shows gratitude and respect for the service of fallen soldiers, the event speakers explained.
“Their sacrifice was not theirs alone,” Sgt. Major Janet Sandoval said to the crowd. “It was also carried by their families. By mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters who endured days, months and even years apart. Some still wait for answers, and some still carry the weight of loss.”
After the ceremony, marching bands, military personnel, city officials, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets, community organizations, and floats decorated to honor Gold Star Families and fallen veterans began their procession along North Dearborn Street as hundreds of onlookers gathered.
Rhonda Drzewiecki, a 52-year-old from Buffalo, New York, said she came to today’s event during her trip to Chicago to honor her father, stepfather and husband who served in the military.
Drzewiecki said that in her experience, many people don’t understand the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, which honors all service members in November. To her, the distinction is important.
“Veterans that made it home — while their service is absolutely still so important — those that never made it home were willing to give their lives so that we could be here today,” Drzewiecki said. “It’s so important to remember that.”
In the afternoon on the city’s West Side, Chicago nonprofits and neighbors came together for basketball, barbecue, barbers, and more to celebrate safer streets in Humboldt Park.
The 31st Annual Walk for Peace, organized by the nonprofit Alliance of Local Street Organizations, has promoted violence reduction since the 1990s, when local gangs designated the park as a safe place for neighbors.
The event occurs each year on Memorial Day Weekend, as crime rates have historically risen in the summer, said Ald. Jessie Fuentes, 26th.
“We want to remind people just how important it is to put the guns down, how important it is to keep our communities safe,” Fuentes said.
More than 100 people gathered in the park — paper plates in hand — at the violence reduction event following the march near the Humboldt Park Boathouse for freshly grilled food, ice cream, free haircuts and games. Neighbors could also sign up for support from ALSO, BUILD, Inc., and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center.
“We know that young people today are driven by the arts, are driven by music, are driven by familiar things that allow the space to feel safe and to feel like home,” Fuentes said. “That’s how we bring community together.”
Those involved in violence prevention said they’ve seen the change these programs can bring. Carlos Andino, a Humboldt Park resident and outreach worker for ALSO, said the impact of the Walk for Peace and nonprofit outreach is tangible.
“There’ve been incidents where simple little fights could have escalated and turned to something very violent that could have gone on for years back and forth, but we were able to get in front of it, sit down and mediate the situation,” Andino said.
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For first-time attendee Brenda Jones-Taylor and her husband, the message behind the Walk for Peace was personal. Jones-Taylor said she lost her two sons, Brandon and Brian, to gun violence, as well as her 15-year-old grandson, Tyler.
Jones-Taylor said violence prevention programs like the Walk for Peace are still “much needed” in the area.
“It’s just too much going on out here,” Jones-Taylor said. “We need things like this so that these youth will have something to do with their time and just be mindful that there’s more to picking up a gun and shooting it.”