In a solemn tribute to a hero who never returned home, State representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego), a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, sponsored legislation to never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and never made it home. Although unable to attend due to a commitment out of town, area Legislators, Veterans’ organizations, and the local community to dedicate a portion of Illinois Route 25 in honor of Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ogden Neil Thompson, a courageous Aurora native who was declared Missing in Action during the Korean War.
Through the resolution championed by Rep. Kifowit, the stretch of Illinois Route 25 from Sullivan Road to Ashland Avenue now officially bears the name “SFC Ogden N. Thompson Memorial Highway.”
The dedication ceremony was July 26 at the corner of Illinois Route 25 and Sullivan Road in Aurora.
SFC Thompson served in the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and was stationed near Unsan, North Korea, during one of the most intense battles of the Korean War. On November 1, 1950, during a surprise Chinese offensive, Thompson’s unit was overrun. He went missing during the ensuing chaos and was never recovered. Eyewitness accounts suggest he was killed while attempting to evade enemy forces, but his remains were never identified. His name is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C..
This lasting memorial is part of a broader effort led by Robert Patterson, Board Chair of the Christopher Patterson Memorial Foundation and Gold Star Father, to honor Illinois service members who remain missing in action.
“While street signs cannot bring these heroes home, they ensure their names are spoken — and their sacrifices remembered,” said Patterson. “Ogden Thompson’s story is one of courage and commitment. This dedication helps preserve that legacy for generations to come.”
—Office of State representative Stephanie Kifowit