Saturday marks 50th anniversary of 'Memorial Corner' ceremony that honors fallen veterans of O'Fallon
In the summer of 1968, more than a half-million U.S. service members were deployed in Vietnam.
On May 30 of that year, 45 of them were killed in action, including four from Illinois.
That same day — nearly 9,000 miles away — then O’Fallon Woman’s Club president Betty Osborne gathered a group of her fellow club members in downtown O’Fallon to honor such heroes from their own community.
The club has continued the tradition every month since.
"We rendezvous monthly to honor the members from our hometown who have given so much for us to live freely,” said Jan Todd, O'Fallon Woman's Club Memorial Corner chairperson.
The day has changed. That first meeting was a Thursday — Memorial Day that year before the holiday was changed to the fourth Monday of the month by an act of Congress in 1971. The club now meets for the ceremony on the first Saturday of every month.
Like clockwork, at 9 a.m., members assemble at “Memorial Corner,” the intersection S. Lincoln Avenue and First Street. Today, the location has a marquee and flag pole, and with help from local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the club conducts flag-raising ceremony to honor the service and sacrifice of fallen veterans from O'Fallon.
"All of these people were from O'Fallon in some way. It's truly the ultimate sacrifice, and we want to celebrate their selflessness," Todd said.
On May 5, U.S. Army Pvt. John M. Lindner was honored. Members of O'Fallon Boy Scout Troop 94, who performed the flag-raising, also sang the national anthem and read aloud a short biography of the fallen soldier.
Lindner was born Nov. 13, 1947 and joined the Army in June 1967. On Dec. 30, 1967, he was wounded during ground combat. On Jan. 5, 1968, he died from his injuries.
"He gave his life so we could live free," said Will Hicks, one of the members of Troop 94 who helped perform the ceremony.
Phillip Klohr, assistant scout master, said the ceremonies are a "valuable experience" for the children.
Klohr’s 16-year-old son, Harrison, has been in Boys Scout for six years and done a number of ceremonies. He called the experience “humbling.”
"Because it's always honoring somebody, and I think that's very neat and honorable," he said.
This Saturday marks the golden anniversary of the ceremony to honor Gold Star families.
Todd hopes there will be a larger crowd than usual this weekend to celebrate the re-dedication of the Memorial Corner location and tradition.
"I hope more people will come out to see what a great thing this is and what a wonderful job the Boy and Girl Scouts all do every month with such a level of respect and reverence," Todd said.
This story was originally published May 31, 2018 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Saturday marks 50th anniversary of 'Memorial Corner' ceremony that honors fallen veterans of O'Fallon."