Subscribe
Portrait of a Soldier exhibit.
Arlington Heights, Illinois -- "Sgt. Christopher Abeyta..." "Lance Cpl. Jordan Bastean..." "Spc. Karen N. Clifton..."
Names have weight. History has weight. Actions that happened years in the past and across the country have caused ripples through time; connecting us to absolute strangers. The events that happened on 9/11 still ripple through our lives, the weight of them dragging us down at times through memories. "What were you doing when 9/11 happened?" Suddenly, the world and our lives are divided into before and after. The simple litany of names, unadorned but clear, unites us - those of us that were alive in the "before" - in that swell of memory.
And as the weight of names gets heavier and heavier, we remember. We remember in the stillness of that church; connecting us to grief and sorrow but also to promise and hope. What had started as yet another ceremony to honor strangers became more - by the very weight of those names.
"Pvt. James Ebbers..." "Sgt. Jordan Emrick..." "Chief Petty Officer Theodore Fitz-Henry..."
On September 11, 2021, a remembrance ceremony for the 20th anniversary of 9/11 was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights with the opening of a special exhibit, 'Portrait Of A Soldier' held at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. The event brought together many different elements and parts of the community, but the theme was unity, remembrance, and education.
"We gather together to remember and remark," said Judy Hockemberg, the Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian, in her opening invocation. "We remember their names."
"Cpl. Casey Hills..." "Capt. Benjamin Jansky..." "Sgt. Andrew W. Lancaster..."
"Much has changed. What hasn't changed is our commitment to freedom in the presence of our first responders and military," stated Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes. He went on to say that the traveling part of the exhibit will give high schoolers who hadn't even been born at the time of 9/11 a chance to understand their sacrifice.
"Spc. Keith M. Maupin..." "Pfc. Devin Michel..." "Cpl. Anthony Mihalo..."
"Soldiers believe that they can die twice; once when they're killed in action and again when their names are no longer spoken," Illinois Governor Pat Quinn stated. After the presentation of colors from the Marine Color Guards, of the 2nd Battalion 24th Marine Regiment from Fort Sheridan, and a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by the 484th Army Band Brass Quintet, the simple words fell into the expectant silence of a filled church.
To the Gold Star families in attendance, a title bestowed to immediate family members of service members who have died in the line of duty, he had this to say, "You accomplished the hardest job anyone can have, you raised your children well; to volunteer, to step forward and serve... and as we read their names, we will remember them. We will not forget their purposeful life."
"Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller, Jr...." "Sgt. John Penich..." "Spc. Hector Ramos..."
Next was a performance of 'America The Beautiful' by the 484th and essays from Junior High students Kelsey Neary and Robert (RJ) Gamble on the value of connecting to others through told stories and patriotism, saying "Patriotism is when we choose to act with reason for a purpose greater than ourselves." The juniors had connected to Gold Star families through Salute, Inc., a not for profit organization that started after 9/11 to assist military families.
"I was born three years after 9/11 happened. I wanted to understand the impact, remember their loss and honor how we were bound together. Not by the actions of terrorists, but by the actions that took place afterwards. The connections forged between people doing both the big things and the little things." said Neary in her essay.
Before the ceremony, Gamble gave his reason for writing his essay, "We need to remember sharing our grief - not in sadness, but in celebration for those who showed patriotism every day."
Both juniors interviewed the families of service members in the exhibit and the traveling part of the exhibit will be a part of at least two more high schools' education while in the area.
"Spc. Lukasz Saczek..." "Pfc. Omar E Torres..." "Pvt. Scott M. Tyrrell..."
A moving performance of 'Amazing Grace' by Adam Hendrickson, Director of Music at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights followed, with accompaniment by Christopher Urban, Associate Director on the church's pipe organ. All of this led up to the reason for the ceremony; the reading of every single name of an Illinois service member that died in connection with the September 11th event and in the conflicts since.
330 names read in silence, with momentary pauses for particular names - those whose families were actually present. Those Gold Star families received a yellow rose and sometimes a hug. Once they re-seated, the litany of names continued. 330 names. Read in silence.
"Spc. James C. Young..." "Cpl. Christopher E. Zimny..." "Pfc. Daniel Zizumbo..."
A heavy moment passed after the reading of the last name. The air was muffled by the presence of all those names; invisible, but filling up the room until every breath seemed to have memories contained in it. Then, after a quiet request to stand, TAPS rang out. It's ringing notes a direct contrast to the vast weight of all those names, all those lives lost. A defiant reminder that life goes on; clearing the air again. The final benediction by Father Matt Foley, who had served as a Chaplain through four tours in Afghanistan, concluded the ceremony.
Leaving the building into the bright sunlight felt almost like waking up, and after a short walk to the library, people were able to put faces to those names. To deepen their connections to those who had been but were no longer strangers.
"They're children, they're spouses, they're family members, and this is our way of giving back again, 20 years later," said Mary Beth Beiersdorf, who with her husband Will founded Salute, Inc.
The portraits on display were drawn by Cameron Schilling, Donald Jeremiah and Kiana Jeremiah.
"It was moving," Schilling said as he described seeing all his portraits on display for the first time in an interview about the exhibit. "It makes me a little emotional because the families, you don't know what to say to them... I wanted to show them people cared about their sacrifice."
"These were men and women - they lived, they breathed, they felt dawn and they gave their lives for a cause." said Quinn.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2021 14:29 |
| Story ID: | 405135 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Portrait of a Soldier exhibit., by SPC Gail Sanders, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT