Middle East Conflicts Wall Of Honor Coming To Oswego

OSWEGO, IL —A year after its originally scheduled visit, the Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor is headed to Oswego this May, the Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club and Village of Oswego announced on Tuesday.

The wall has the names and photos of the 7,200 American soldiers lost in Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Iraq and Afghanistan. The wall will be on display 24 hours a day at Oswego Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill, from May 21 to May 31, the final day of the stay is Memorial Day. The Oswego Honors Veterans committee is sponsoring the visit of the wall.

Created in Oregon in 2003, the wall never has been displayed outside that state. It was supposed to be in Oswego in May 2020, but the visit was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A number of events are being planned surrounding the wall's stay in Oswego. The Marine Vets Motorcycle Club and area firefighters and police will escort the wall into town on May 21. An opening ceremony is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. the following day, with a closing ceremony planned for 3 p.m. on May 31. A car show, musical performances and other festivities are expected to take place throughout the wall's 11 days in town. More details about those events will be released soon on the Oswego Honors Veterans Facebook page. The group also is launching a website at the address: OswegoHonorsVeterans.com.

Kris Kearns, chairperson of Oswego Honors Veterans and a United States Marine Corpsveteran who served in Desert Storm/Desert Shield, said he believes there will be interest in the wall among veterans, regardless of when they served, military families and the public at large.

"This wall, for a veteran, has a lot of meaning, whether you know the names and served with them or not, it just gives you a different understanding," said Kearns, who lives in Oswego, is currently a lieutenant in the Oswego Fire Department and works in the real estate business. "For members of the community who don't know people on the wall, it still will signify something for them to see the names and the faces, it gives it that personal touch about what this wall means."

Kearns continued: "And something people forget about are the families who have loved ones on this wall, they are going to visit and it may serve as closure. People understand what it means to serve and pay the ultimate price, but forget the family (of a fallen soldier) and the price they also pay. This wall let's them know we understand the price they have paid, and we are here for them too."

According to the website vetshelpingvetshq.com, an Oregon high school student named Alicia Tallman actually created the wall in 2003. It originally was called Faces of the Fallen and was designed to honor those lost in post 9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A group called Vets Helping Vets HQ took possession of the wall in the summer of 2014, and in 2017, the wall was expanded to include the names of the servicemen and servicewomen killed in action during Desert Storm/Desert Shield (1990-91).

The wall now includes 33 panels, each measuring close to seven feet tall, with 104 names on each side of the panel. Two of the panels are for major sponsors and for information explaining the history of the Middle East conflicts.

People wishing to donate to the May event can contact Oswego Honors Veterans at the group's website, when it is launched. The group's Facebook page currently is the source for details about events and festivities. Also, those interested in purchasing apparel commemorating the visit of the Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor can do so online.