SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will host the annual Christmas Remembrance Ceremony for Illinois soldiers listed as prisoners of war or missing in action (POW/MIA) during the Vietnam War on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield.
The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m., and it’s open to the public.
Family and friends of soldiers will have the opportunity to hang handmade, heart-shaped ornaments with the names of loved ones on a tree near the memorial. The Black Tiger Honor Guard will serve as the color guard. The names of the POW/MIA soldiers will be read aloud, and the ceremony will also include music courtesy of the Land of Lincoln Chorus.
The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in May 1988. The Memorial is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The Memorial incorporates five black granite walls upon which are inscribed the 2970 names of Illinoisans who died or are still missing. The five black granite walls form interior courtyards, one for each of the five branches of service. Each branch of service is designated by its insignia, which is etched on inner fifteen-foot high gray granite walls. Also inscribed on the gray granite walls are the names of those listed as missing-in-action or as prisoners-of-war, as well as the names of the highest decorated veterans in each branch of service. An eternal flame burns atop the Memorial where the gray granite walls converge. The inscription on the outer walls reads: “TO THOSE WHO DIED HONOR AND ETERNAL REST, TO THOSE STILL IN BONDAGE REMEMBRANCE AND HOPE, AND TO THOSE WHO RETURNED GRATITUDE AND PEACE.”
Go online to learn more about the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Oak Ridge Cemetery: https://veterans.illinois.gov/memorials/vietnam-veterans-memorial.html