Arlington Heights' Memorial Day parade marks 100 years of honoring hometown heroes
One hundred years. Fifty-eight fallen soldiers. A legacy of service remembered.
Arlington Heights' centennial Memorial Day observance Monday honored hometown heroes and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who served to preserve freedoms.
A tolling bell, a 21-gun salute and a lone bugler playing Taps punctuated the ceremonial reading of names of Arlington Heights' fallen heroes. Since the Civil War, 58 residents have died in combat - the latest was James Stack who was killed Nov. 10, 2010, during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The recognition bore special significance for Rick McNulty of Mount Prospect, a U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary member whose family members have served in practically every major conflict since the Civil War.
"It means a lot," McNulty said. "Memorial Day is as important as Veterans Day. We are memorializing what their service meant to us and to the country."
The suburbs' largest Memorial Day parade traces its history to Sept. 6, 1919, when Arlington Heights residents welcomed home soldiers, sailors and nurses who served in World War I.
Thousands of spectators lined the sidewalks along Monday's parade route from village hall at Arlington Heights Road and Sigwalt Street to Memorial Park, cheering, saluting and waving "Arlington Remembers" placards as more than 100 marching units comprising veterans of all stripes, police, firefighters, Scouts and supporters passed by.
It was among several Memorial Day observances throughout the suburbs, including Carol Stream, Fox Lake, Palatine, Naperville, St. Charles and Wauconda.
More than 65 groups marched in Naperville's Memorial Day parade followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Central Park. Wauconda celebrated its 68th Memorial Day parade. Carol Stream's Memorial Day ceremony followed the dedication of Veterans Memorial Plaza at the Ross Ferraro Town Center.
In Arlington Heights, active-duty military personnel and volunteers handed out many of the 5,000 commemorative coins - produced by the Veterans Memorial Committee of Arlington Heights to mark the occasion - to families of fallen heroes, veterans, active military and others who have supported the town's Memorial Day observances over the years.
"It's meaningful," said Bob Reczek of Arlington Heights, a Coast Guard auxiliary member who served during the Vietnam War era, after receiving the 1.75-inch-diameter coin featuring the eternal flame sculpture at Memorial Park on one side and the parade theme "Arlington Remembers" on the other. "Days like this is what brings back the good feeling. Let us remember all those who gave something."
Centennial tributes included a 10-minute video airing on YouTube and the village's cable access channels that recounts the history of Memorial Day in Arlington Heights.
For some, such traditions showing respect and consideration from fellow Americans toward those who served have been a long time coming.
"It's a lot better than when we came back," said Robert Choporis of Arlington Heights, who served with the Army's 7th Division during the Korean War. "The reception was lousy. I got spit on wearing my uniform and I resented that. There was a lot of animosity toward soldiers."
Choporis said he is happy now to see veterans being treated better and getting the recognition they deserve for doing their duty.
There also is a more pressing need to support living veterans, the "forgotten warriors" who often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and at times end up taking their own lives, said Steve MacInnes, commander of the Arlington Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 981.
"This is the biggest enemy that we face," he said. "We have so many veterans that need help. It's about damn time that we start recognizing this situation. Memorial Day is every day to a veteran. We need to start taking action to help these veterans."
MacInnes said veterans lobbied to get the state to issue a new license place promoting PTSD awareness that will be available this fall.