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More than 500 fluttering flags lining Main Street greeted locals and attendees of the Purple Hearts open house at the 1st Street Armoury on Tuesday.
The open house was a way to honor veterans who had served in any U.S. war and remember those who are still fighting, said Dottie Lovell, 77, Galesburg.
To Purple Heart recipient John Hopping, however, there was more to the event than honoring the veterans present.
“Those are the real award winners there,” Hopping said, pointing to a long, tiled wall across the room. “I got to come home. They didn’t get to come home.”
“The (fallen veterans) had hopes and dreams, a field of dreams,” Moffitt said. “And because of those hopes and dreams, America survives and is strong and continues to enjoy freedom. And it’s up to us now to keep those hopes and dreams alive.”
“For a long time, I wanted to go back to Iraq, just to get my revenge,” Wrotny said. “But with help from (the Dept. of Veteran Affairs), I came to realize that everything happens for a reason. It’s a process every soldier has to go through.”
“We’re always a soldier, no matter how many years pass,” he said.
“It’s exceedingly fitting we set aside a day,” said Mayor Rod Davies. “And it’s a great honor to reserve a spot for those who have given so much.”
More than 500 fluttering flags lining Main Street greeted locals and attendees of the Purple Hearts open house at the 1st Street Armoury on Tuesday.
The open house was a way to honor veterans who had served in any U.S. war and remember those who are still fighting, said Dottie Lovell, 77, Galesburg.
To Purple Heart recipient John Hopping, however, there was more to the event than honoring the veterans present.
“Those are the real award winners there,” Hopping said, pointing to a long, tiled wall across the room. “I got to come home. They didn’t get to come home.”
“The (fallen veterans) had hopes and dreams, a field of dreams,” Moffitt said. “And because of those hopes and dreams, America survives and is strong and continues to enjoy freedom. And it’s up to us now to keep those hopes and dreams alive.”
“For a long time, I wanted to go back to Iraq, just to get my revenge,” Wrotny said. “But with help from (the Dept. of Veteran Affairs), I came to realize that everything happens for a reason. It’s a process every soldier has to go through.”
“We’re always a soldier, no matter how many years pass,” he said.
“It’s exceedingly fitting we set aside a day,” said Mayor Rod Davies. “And it’s a great honor to reserve a spot for those who have given so much.”
The representative said he is working on passing legislation that would allow veterans to receive medical assistance at any hospital, rather than requiring them to use specific veterans’ hospitals.
For Terry Talbert, 61, of East Galesburg, the event was a fitting tribute to the veterans of any U.S. war.
“It means a great deal,” Talbert said. “When our son came back, hundreds turned out to honor him. It wasn’t that way when Vietnam veterans came back, and now they’re getting the recognition they deserved 40 years ago.”
“It’s unbelievable how many people there are out there who care,” he said.
