Wounded veteran leads Lisle’s Memorial Day parade
Back home from an 11-month tour in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Bogmenko needs surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.
He thinks he sustained the injury from a suicide bombing last August near his base in Afghanistan’s Zabul province.
But instead of resting and recuperating, Bogmenko decided to pedal a mountain bike in Crane, Ind., recently in a Ride 2 Recovery Honor Ride. It’s a fundraising event that sponsors cycling programs for wounded veterans.
Bogmenko charted 25 miles in sweltering May heat.
“That was all I could do, and that was pushing it,” said Bogmenko, currently stationed in Fort Knox, Ky.
On Memorial Day, Bogmenko will walk the Lisle Memorial Day Parade route as the grand marshal. He’ll wear his Purple Heart pinned on his uniform and a brace to reinforce his injured knee.
In the “most sacred” of military observances, Bogmenko, a former commander of the Ross Bishop VFW Post 5696 in Lisle, will remember his buddies who were killed in action.
He estimates the August blast struck 25 meters from where he was standing. Shrapnel sliced his right leg. He suffered a concussion. He was still wearing a bulletproof vest, helmet and other protective gear from a 15-mile mission on the quiet Sunday. He said the torn ACL was diagnosed when he returned to the States.
“I’m surprised that I lived through it,” Bogmenko said. “It was an act of God.”
Bogmenko doesn’t like to take much credit for his 34-year service.
“It’s just part of the job,” he said matter-of-factly.
The answer springs from the disciplined, team culture in the military, says Brett Nila, the post’s current commander and a retired colonel.
“Everybody is working together,” Nila said. “Everyone shares in the good and the bad.”
After the parade, the post will host a ceremony at the Lisle cemetery, where veterans will place American flags on the graves of veterans buried there.
“It’s a way of helping remind everyone of those who serve our country and those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Nila said.
Nila hopes neighbors talk to veterans and learn about that sense of duty.
“We’re still very motivated to serve,” Nila said. “We’re very active. We want to do other things for our community.”
After his surgery, Bogmenko hopes to continue fundraising for rehab programs for wounded soldiers.
“Just support the veterans because the veterans support you,” he said.
The Lisle parade steps off at 11 a.m. Monday, May 28, at Lisle Junior High School, 5207 Center Ave. The parade travels north on Main Street to School Street, east to Spencer Avenue and south to Burlington Avenue to a ceremony at the village hall, 925 Burlington Ave.
Then the post will host the ceremony at the Lisle cemetery.
A free picnic follows on the grounds of the Museums at Lisle Station Park.
For information, call the Lisle Convention and Visitors Bureau at (630) 769-1000.
If you go
What: Lisle Memorial Day Parade
When: 11 a.m. Monday, May 28
Where: Steps off from Lisle Junior High School, 5207 Center Ave.; travels north on Main Street to School Street, east to Spencer Avenue, south to Burlington Avenue to the village hall, 925 Burlington Ave.
Cost: Free
Details: Ceremony at the village hall following the parade; ceremony at Lisle Cemetery; picnic follows at the Museums at Lisle Station Park
Info: (630) 769-1000