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Summary of Visitors to the Moving Wall at the Illinois Veterans' Home

Quincy, Illinois
June 12th - 20th, 2000

June 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th there were a combined total of 2500 visitors to the Moving Wall that signed in the guest book. And most signed the books as they came by ones and twos all the days that the wall was there. Of those 2500 visitors the first few days, 487 had served in the military at some point in their lives. This percentage of prior service to civilian visitors was the norm all the days the Moving Wall was on display.

June 17th (Saturday) there were about 1000 visitors to the Moving Wall

June 18th (Sunday, Father's Day) there were about 1500 visitors to the Moving Wall

June 19th (Monday) there were about 780 visitors to the Moving Wall

June 20th (Tuesday) there were about 460 visitors to the Moving Wall

This makes for a combined total of 6,240 actual persons that signed the visitors guests books. Given the few that did not sign, and a few school buses one morning, it would be safe to estimate there were a total of 10,000 visitors to the Moving Wall at the most.

The majority of visitors never served in the military. Of those that did serve the majority of those that served in the military were from time periods other than the Vietnam War years.

Listing and Location of items left at the Moving Wall,
Illinois Veterans Home, June 12th through 20th, 2000, Quincy Illinois

15 single carnation boutonnieres left at the entrance around the plant arrangement Misc. letters from school children on a field trip to see
the Moving Wall.
And the following items:

Location Item Left

70W Small American Flag

69W Adams County Area Vietnam Vets Flag with black tag and name of loss
engraved on tag. Michael Ford. (Future reference to this entry will be AC Flag,
followed by name of the loss.)

66W Small American Flag

61W AC Flag, Jessie Poe

53W Small American Flag

53W Flag with floral base and attached military actual dog tag for those lost
from Hancock County, IL...name Dale Vance
(Future reference to this entry will be HC Flag followed by the name of the loss)

44W AC Flag, Larry Jansen

44W Live Yellow Rose

42W Small American Flag

42W Note card, "Honor and Respect, LTC Donald B. Schroeder

40W Silk Red Rose

38W AC Flag, Thomas Whitfield

35W AC Flag, Kenneth Spilker

35W AC Flag, Richard Zimmerman

35W Purple Heart and Card, PFC David Nash

35W Small American Flag

33W Memory, Phillip Jones

32W AC Flag, Robert Eickelberry

29W HC Flag, Robert Spiegel

29W Letter and Bottle of Beer, Danny Wessler

27W Letter Always Our Brother, Forever Our Hero, Koenig

23W HC Flag, Michael Trotter

23W Small American Flag

20W AC Flag, Dennis Neal

20W AC Flag, Robert Runser

18W Red Rose

15W HC Flag, Donald Lambert

15W Small American Flag, also Donald Lambert

15W Small American Flag, no name given

15W HC Flag, Ronald McMillen

12W AC Flag, Bradley Gaus

11W AC Flag, Bruce Bardon

10W AC Flag, Lloyd Bowles

10W AC Flag, George Fogleman

10W AC Flag, Michael Frese

10W 1 Large American Flag

10W 1 Small Flag with White Ribbon

9W AC Flag, Kenneth McKenna

8W 4 long stem live red, white, and blue carnations

8W Small American Flag

6W Small American Flag with Dog Tag, Thomas Heideman

2W Large Red White and Blue Silk Flower Bouquet, K.M. Berblinger

2W AC Flag, Kenneth Berblinger

2W Live Red Rose

******* ******************************************************************

2E Small American Flag

2E Card left, This Band of Brothers
Members of 2nd Battalion Airborne 502nd Infantry

5E Small American Flag

5E AC Flag, Willard Collius

5E AC Flag, Thomas Whitfield

5E Card left..In Tribute and Respect for
1st SGT Alex Vaczi (etc.)

6E HC Flag, Larry Rose

6E 5 Red Roses

8E HC Flag, John Miller

13E Red Rose

16E AC Flag, John Arnold

21E 3rd Recon Battalion Patch

21E POW/MIA Button

29E Small American Flag, with dog tag, Esteban Tadena

32E HC Flag, John Phillips

32E Purple Silk Flowers

33E AC Flag, Gordon Perisho

35E AC Flag, Kenneth Spilker

35E Small American Flag

35E Red Rose

38E AC Flag, LeRoy Peter

38E HC Flag, Jimmy Stanley Cerione

39E HC Flag, Robert McMahan

40E Cluster of Live White Red tipped Rose Buds

42E Small American Flag, with dog tag Willie Hunter, Timothy Schroeder

50E HC Flag, Gary Redenius

51E Live Red Carnation

59E AC Flag, Dennis Jones

59E Live Red Rose

65E HC Flag, Alonzo Dixon

AC Flag, = Adams County loss, HC Flag = Hancock County loss
34 were lost from the combined two counties.

From the RAG Publishing Company
Illinois Veterans' Home Creative Writers Group

How did it all begin? This age old custom of sending each other messages covered with lace, and cut-outs of hearts or cute little cherubs? Like so many of our holidays, Valentine's Day has a Pagan beginning that can be traced back to the 3rd Century.
The ancient Romans celebrated February 14th as the Festival of Lupercalia, dedicated to the pastoral God Lupercus, and Juno, the Goddess of Love. As part of the merrymaking, young Roman maidens would write their names on bits of papyrus, dropping them into a large urn in the public square. Later, each of the young bachelors in town would draw a name which would determine their romantic playmate for the coming year. The Christian church was quick to denounce the practice, calling it a "Pagan Love Lottery." Instead, they held competing games more religious in nature, in which the names of saints might be drawn to assure good fortune in the coming year. The people however, preferred the old ways and the festival of the urn continued, even spreading to other lands.
The day of fun and games came to be known as Valentine's Day in 270 AD when according to legend, a young priest with the name Valentinus, was sentenced to death by the Emperor Claudius II for refusing to denounce Christianity. During his long stay in prison awaiting execution, the cleric missed his beloved family and good friends, longing for a way to contact them. One day he noticed a cluster of pink wildflowers growing within reach of his prison window. Plucking some of them, he wrote messages on the heart shaped petals. "Remember your Valentinus," or simply, "I love you." The missives were sent on their way with a friendly dove. In this way the custom of sending Valentine messages began, to continue down through the ages to our present day.

Remembrance Prayer

As you arrived here, you might have noticed the small table placed here in honor. Let me explain.

This table set before you is set for five, representing the five branches of service: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

The military is filled with symbolism. This table is our way of symbolizing the members of our profession of arms who are missing from our midst. They are commonly called POW/MIA's. We call them brothers.

This table set for five is small, symbolizing the frailty of the prisoners alone against their oppressors. REMEMBER

The tablecloth is white, symbolizing the purity of their intentions to respond to their country's call to arms. REMEMBER

The single rose displayed in the vase is symbolic of the families and loved ones who keep the faith waiting for their return. REMEMBER

The red ribbon tied so prominently on the vase is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn upon the lapel and breast of thousands who bear witness to their unyielding determination to demand a proper accounting of our missing. REMEMBER

The slice of lemon is on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate. REMEMBER

There is salt on the bread plate, symbolic of the families' tears as they wait. REMEMBER

The glasses are inverted, they cannot toast with us this night. REMEMBER

The chairs, the chairs are empty; they are not here. REMEMBER

The candle is reminiscent of the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to open arms of a grateful nation. REMEMBER

Remember all of you who served with them and called them comrades, who depended upon their might and aid and relied upon them, for surely they have not forgotten you. REMEMBER