Medal of Honor recipients coming to Cantigny
About 50 Medal of Honor recipients will be in the Wheaton area this weekend to remember fellow Americans who were held as prisoners of war or are listed as missing in action.
The distinguished combat veterans have been in Chicago this week attending the Medal of Honor Society's annual convention. On Saturday, the last day of the convention, they will spend several hours at Cantigny Park and participate in a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. to honor National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
Cantigny officials say the public is invited to observe the brief ceremony, which will be at the "doughboy" statue in front of the visitors center. The U.S. Army Chorus will perform during the ceremony and also at 11 a.m. at the park's First Division Museum.
The occasion will give visitors the opportunity to personally thank the Medal of Honor recipients.
"Every one of these gentlemen has put his life gravely at risk in defense of our country," said Paul Herbert, executive director of the First Division Museum. "We're just very honored and flattered and pleased to have them with us. Hopefully, we can show them the respect that they so richly deserve."
The Medal of Honor is the nations's highest military award for bravery. Of the estimated 42 million Americans who have served the country in uniform, only 3,447 individuals have received the medal.
"These guys have gone above and beyond what their duty requires," Herbert said. "And that's pretty significant."
Of the 95 living Medal of Honor recipients, three are from Illinois. Allen Lynch, a Gurnee resident who received the medal for his service in the Vietnam War, is expected to attend Saturday's ceremony.
Herbert said he believes all the Medal of Honor recipients will be pleasantly surprised by Cantigny's beauty and commitment to military history, including connections to the Medal of Honor.
Cantigny officials said the First Division Museum routinely exhibits four Medals of Honor in its permanent collection. It also tells the stories of all 33 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division who have received the award since 1917. A fifth medal, on loan from the family of World War I 1st Division recipient Samuel I. Parker, also is on exhibit, officials said.
Herbert said learning about Medal of Honor recipients makes one think about duty, service and sacrifice.
"We all have duties," Herbert said. "And when you look at what these guys put on the line to carry out their duties, it makes you recognize that our duties - whether they're to community, to each other or to our country - are, quite frankly, easier to carry out and we ought to be happy to do them."
If you go
What: National POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony
When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19
Where: Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton
Details: About 50 Medal of Honor recipients will participate
Cost: Free admission, $5 for parking
Info: FirstDivisionMuseum.org