Wheaton-area veterans honored with framed reflections
During World War II, Rick Erickson's mother helped make parachutes.
Now, when he asks her what she did to assist with the war effort, she can't remember.
It's a problem many families face when it comes to preserving the war stories of their loved ones who served in the military many years ago.
In an effort to save those memories and celebrate Veterans Day, Erickson, president of the Wheaton-based business planning company Bold Steps, Inc., and Bob Green, owner of DuPage Framing Center, decided to launch a new community project called Reflections Framed.
For the past few weeks, the two have been gathering stories from veterans and family members of current servicemen and women.
The stories have been framed, along with a photo of the military member, for free. They will be distributed Tuesday during a Veterans Day celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. at Clare Woods Academy, 125 E. Seminary, in Wheaton. The public is welcome.
Erickson said the project reflects the heart of Wheaton residents.
"We're excited to provide this to them," he said. "It's been kind of bittersweet, in a good way."
One story that stood out, Erickson said, was about a 94-year-old resident of the Wyndemere Retirement Community who was held as a prisoner of war for more than three years.
Other framed stories include harrowing tales of near-death situations while flying World War II planes or fighting in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East.
"It could be somebody telling a story about a grandfather, it could be somebody telling a story about their son," he said.
Some stories were submitted by the veteran themselves.
"They're not all the same," Erickson said of the veterans he has met. "Some, they take a little more encouragement to do this because they're humble by nature."
There were many community sponsors that helped with the project, including Cantigny Park and Cadence Health, Erickson said.
A total of 56 frames will be presented Tuesday. Wheaton College ROTC students will be in attendance, as will several speakers, including Mayor Michael Gresk and Pamela Kostecki, executive director of the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans, which will receive donations gathered at the event.
"They're all really, really interesting and if we ran this thing longer we would probably keep getting submissions," Erickson said, adding that every reflection is about a person who has a tie to Wheaton. "I don't know where this will go next year, but a lot of people are saying they want to keep it going."