Never forget …
The City of Harvard, Illinois Chamber of Commerce and Industry offered Harvard’s Milky Way Park to host the American Veterans Traveling Tribute from September 8 through September 11.
I’ve photographed several traveling Vietnam Wall displays for various organizations. I’m always powerfully moved by the Vietnam veterans who visit the names etched in stone, families who visit loved ones, and those experiencing the magnitude of sacrifice for the first time. Harvard brought that to their hometown – and so much more.
This display is different. Retired US Army Lt. Col. and Vietnam veteran Don Allen, owner of the AVTT, told me that one night he had come up with a way to honor all veterans in a tangible way.
“This tribute includes the Wall,” he explained, “but it is so much more. It brings the younger generation out because we honor Dessert Storm, Afghanistan, Iraq, Grenada, Korea – all of it. It honors those who died on September 11th. …It is about every sacrifice.”
So, I went with my dear Vietnam Veteran friend, and I was particularly touched by the peaceful field in front of the all-too-familiar Vietnam Wall.
I had the great privilege to meet Retired US Army Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis, Pentagon Survivor, last year. His book caused me to think about September 11 in a different way. Wandering the field, I re-read the timelines, walked from A-frame to A-frame, and spent time taking the names of those who had perished.
I meandered to the more recent losses, looking for the names of friends’ children who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. I looked through the older wars and thought about how different these experiences have been, yet, they are unified in both grief and in loss.
This grief is not limited to those whose lives were cut short. No, this grief is also the loss of innocence, the loss of who they once were, the loss of relationships that once were strong but now have waned. It is the loss of a feeling of belonging. It is the knowledge that they have experienced things that almost no one has – except for their military brothers and sisters.
So this Wall, combined with the large field of remembrance, provides space. So many Vietnam veterans, Vietnam-Era veterans, and families of these veterans have found solace touching the names etched in the towering wall, maintaining a connection, knowing they are not alone, allowing grief to pour over them as they embrace the enormity of the loss. Here is their place to heal.
With the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, all veterans and veteran families can touch the names that are often held in the silence of their hearts. This tribute is for them. They have suffered losses that many cannot comprehend. They know they will never be the person they were before they embarked on that journey. They, too, carry the weight of combat on their shoulders. While they wander the field, they are given the same opportunity to visit with those lost and to share the stories that are so important alive. Here is their place to heal.
On the cusp of yet another anniversary of the September 11 Attacks, I am grateful for the opportunity this tribute provides. What I learned from Lt. Col. Yantis was that the impact of those planes reverberated across the nation and beyond, and the overpowering waves of emotion continues today to wash into the lives of those who witnessed it, lived it, and responded to it. Here is their place to heal.
Healing comes in many forms. We never forget the trauma nor the loss, but we find hope in those who touch a shoulder while we weep, who offer a prayer of peace, who stand in silence to support us, and who wait patiently as we decide if we want to share our story.
But there we stand. United in hope just as much as we are in grief.
Allen’s tribute is made in the United States of black anodized marine-grade aluminum in his shop. The A-frames are updated as new information comes his way. Harvard is the only location in Illinois that the AVTT will be this season, and the Traveling Tribute will be there through Sunday.
