Former POW in Vietnam to lead Memorial Day wreath-laying

CHICAGO (AP) - A former prison of war in Vietnam will lead a wreath-laying ceremony at a Chicago monument as part of Memorial Day commemorations.

The retired major general, John L. Borling, will be among the military, public safety and community leaders participating in ceremonies at the General John A. Logan Monument in Grant Park. Then-fighter pilot Borling was shot down during the Vietnam War and spent several years as a POW.

General Logan was a Civil War general and founder of Decoration Day, which later became known as Memorial Day. The director of oral history at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Mark DePue, is the scheduled keynote speaker for the event. He'll speak about the significance of Memorial Day.

The event's sponsor is the Chicago Cultural Mile Association.