On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the DuPage County Veterans’ Memorial was in the spotlight. Built as a massive sundial, the monument symbolizes the sacrifices made in both past and future wars. It serves as a reminder of grief that spans generations. Particularly for families of 26 county residents who died while serving in the military, starting from the Black Hawk War in 1832. Many of these individuals were under 30 years old when they passed.
One of these young servicemen was U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Nicholas Larson. He joined the military after graduating high school in 2003 and deployed to strengthen Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sadly, a few months into his service, he was killed during the American assault on Fallujah on November 9, 2004. Nicholas was only 19 years old.
“You lose your grandparents, and your mom and dad, eventually. But you just don’t expect to lose a child. It’s brutal,” shared Dave Larson, Nicholas’s father. Attending a remembrance event near the county fairgrounds prior to Memorial Day, Dave, alongside his wife, wore a dog tag necklace. A yearbook photo of his quirky-smiled son was featured on the front. “I saw kids that he grew up with getting married, having children,” he reflected, standing amidst more than two dozen white steel crosses arranged in a circle. His son’s cross was adorned with red, blue, and white artificial flowers and a small U.S. flag.
“I remember him the way he was, but I stopped beating myself over the head, and so did my wife, about ‘Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve,’” Dave said. “We’re just glad our son Nick did what he did.”
The first cross belonged to Navy Commander Dan Shanower, a 40-year-old from Naperville. He died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The remaining soldiers were either killed or injured fatally during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. These operations were part of the U.S.-led war on terror.
Dave Larson expressed concern over the ongoing joint U.S.-Israel campaign targeting Iran, launched in February. This conflict has claimed thousands of lives in Iran and Lebanon, as well as resulting in the deaths of 13 U.S. soldiers in the region. “You see enough of this stuff… What we’re going into now? I pray we get out of there,” he remarked.
During the intimate ceremony on Sunday, Gold Star families gathered by a set of flagpoles. The flags of the United States, Illinois, DuPage County, and the POW/MIA flag, honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action, were prominently displayed.
Captain Anthony Catella, a chaplain with the U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps, addressed the attendees. Drawing inspiration from works like Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag,” John Wayne’s “Why Are You Marching, Son?” and President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, he spoke of America’s enduring fight for liberty.
“Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has marched for liberty and freedom,”
Catella declared. “Yet the question is asked in each generation: ‘Why are you marching, America?’”
He mentioned conflicts from the revolutionary battles in 1775 to more recent engagements. “Mission accomplished. But in a larger sense, my countrymen, not yet. Not yet,”
Catella emphasized. “History teaches us that the pursuit of a peaceful and free world is ongoing.”
The ceremony concluded with a weapons salute. Three shots echoed across the pond by the memorial. Bagpipes performed “Amazing Grace,” and the county flag was lowered to raise the Gold Star service flag for the first time. The color guard concluded the event, exiting the memorial with flags proudly raised.