Inscription finally chosen for Wauconda memorial
As construction continues on Wauconda's Heroes of Freedom Memorial, the village board on Tuesday approved wording for the dedication plaque.
The four-paragraph inscription will honor the civilians, firefighters, paramedics and police officers who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as well as the military personnel who have served in the subsequent “global war on terrorism.”
That's a tweak from previous drafts of the inscription. One was rejected because it specifically cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a second was rejected because it eliminated nearly all references to such troops.
The inscription also will note the efforts of former Gurnee Trustee Kirk Morris to bring the memorial to Wauconda. Morris' son, Marine Pfc. Geoffrey Morris, was killed in Iraq in 2004, and he's tried for years to erect a memorial in Lake County.
A plan for such a monument in Gurnee collapsed a few years ago.
The memorial is being built near Wauconda's police station, on Main Street south of Route 176. It's scheduled to be unveiled on Sept. 11.
The centerpiece will be a beam salvaged from one of the fallen World Trade Center buildings. The steel relic will stand upright on a pentagonal platform.
Walls with artwork and inscriptions, benches and plantings are planned, too. The names of the people killed on 9/11 will be featured on a panel, too.
Trustees Tim Howe and Chuck Black worked with the volunteer committee heading the project to finalize the inscription.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, Howe said Tuesday, the memorial will be something the village can be proud of “for generations to come.”
The project generated controversy in recent months and was among the points of strife between trustees and Mayor Frank Bart. Some elements still haven't been approved, even though the dedication ceremony is less than one month away.
“The board doesn't want to delay this process,” Trustee Linda Starkey said.