The traveling Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor arrived in Oswego from Oregon on May 21, and will be on display at Oswego’s Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill, through Memorial Day, Monday, May 31.
The Wall of Honor, created in 2003 by Oregon student Alicia Tallman, serves as a visual tribute to those killed in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both sides of the 24 panels, measuring 3-by-8 feet, bear biographies and photos.
Since its creation, the wall has expanded to include men and women who died in service to their country in all conflicts in the Middle East, dating back to 1991. The present incarnation of the wall features 33 panels with 104 names on each side of the panel.
“While most people celebrate Veterans Day and Memorial Day just two days per year, Gold Star families, those who have lost someone in war, those memories are every day of the year,” a description of the wall reads. “There is an empty chair at the dinner table every night.”
Events honoring those servicemen and women who died for their country continue in Oswego through Monday’s Memorial Day parade led by the American Legion Post 675 at 10 a.m., followed immediately by a service at Oswego Township Cemetery on South Main Street.
Closing ceremonies for the Wall of Honor will be held at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, at Oswego’s Village Hall.