On Nov. 11, 2014, i was outside at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown McHenry, Illinois, on a blustery, rainy day, paying homage to four young McHenry men who never got the chance to grow old. They were killed in Vietnam.
Two of the dead were twins.
It was a cold, gray day.
The McHenry High School Class of 2014 donated $900 to the memorial and the school's chorus sang in the gazebo.: "America the Beautiful," "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and closed with "God Bless America."
McHenry's mayor remarked, "It's a beautiful day in McHenry," which it surely, despite the weather, was. Any time you can honor those who have given the last full measure, it is a beautiful day indeed.
After the ceremony, we all moved across the park to the memorial itself, which was a project on the McHenry Class of 1964. The names of the four McHenry men is listed and then the site of their deaths was marked on a map of Vietnam. Facts and pictures of the war are engraved on the back of it.
One was killed just eight days after his arrival. One was a Marine who served one tour and was killed in his second.
We were back in the park on March 14, 2015, while enjoying the St. Patrick's celebration and paid our respects.
Young Lives Cut Way Short.
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