By John Montesano
In January 2020, I departed from the usual Veteran-of-the-Month format to bring attention to the sacrifice our young men and women made in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). It was time to turn our attention to the loss of life of those who did not return; of the wounded who returned physically damaged; and of the so-called unharmed who returned suffering from PTSD.
The majority of the veterans of the Month since then have been Middle East Conflicts veterans who have survived their ordeal. These year-long remembrances came to a grand finale May 22 through May 31, when The Wall of Honor, a Tribute to Those We Lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, was put on display in the Oswego Village Hall, 24/7, for public viewing.
This Wall of Honor represents our fallen Heroes from 1991 through 2021, with yearly updates. What makes it unique is that each listing includes a photo of the individual, their hometown, branch of service and unit, date and place of incident and cause of death. The photos made all the difference when compared to other memorial walls.
Most casualties of these Middle East conflicts are of young people between ages 18 to 25. However, seeing their faces, brings the reality home. It was chilling to see the photos of three Aurorans: Jesse De La Torre, Miguel Villalon and Christopher Patterson. This Wall of Honor, because it is about more recent conflicts, differs from memorials of past wars because we are honoring and mourning a young spouse, one of our children or grandchildren or a recent brother or sister in arms.
Many individuals came to the Wall of Honor to look up comrades of their son or daughter because it was too difficult to see it in person. The emotional wounds are fresher and more raw.
One Marine, when he saw the many names on the Wall of Honor of his unit, was unable to contain his emotions and quickly fell to his knees. He was immediately surrounded by his fellow Marines in support. In early October 2010 he was in a leadership role, with the legendary Darkhorse Battalion, when they were deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan. The fighting came hard and fast. Patrols were mounted almost daily and contact was constant and intense. The roads and trails were infested with improvised explosive devises (IEDs), the rocky ridge lines by snipers. The battle raged through April 2011. By the time Sangin was secured, 25/35 Marines had been killed and another 200 wounded, many severely. Spending much time at the Wall of Honor, I could not help but notice the cause of death for many. While there were the usual causes by small arms fire, mortar or rpg; the majority were by IEDs and makeshift bombs; intense blasts that would destroy several lives in an instant. Those who survived, would leave with massive bodily damages, or loss of limbs
It struck me that while I am normally writing about a veteran, this month I am honoring too many individuals who will never have opportunities to be veterans. It is all these individuals who give every veteran validity and purpose. It is all these individuals, the fallen, the heroes, that we must never forget.