Replica of Vietnam vets memorial returns to Naperville: ‘It’s tough to keep from breaking down’
Panel 32E, Line 82.
His voice shaking, Robert “Bob” Solczyk recited his brother’s place on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It’s top of mind, always, he said, but Thursday morning in the center of Naperville’s Grand Pavilion, the reminder of his brother’s service — and his family’s loss — was more potent than usual.
More than 700 miles away from Naperville, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., attracts millions of visitors a year, but this weekend, distance is no issue for Solczyk and other Chicago-area veterans with a replica version of the monument set up in town.
Through Monday — including Veterans Day on Saturday — the memorial will be free to visit at the Naperville Riverwalk’s west end. More than a hundred community members from in and around the city, Solczyk included, gathered around the display Thursday for a ceremony opening it for public viewing.
Solczyk took a moment after to collect himself, before finding his brother’s name on Naperville’s replica.
“It’s always very emotional, and I mean, it’s tough to keep from breaking down,” he said, pausing.
“When you look at the names on this wall, you get the full —” he trailed off. “You get a better understanding of how many people died.”
Stretching 80 yards, the wall honors the more than 58,000 U.S. service members who died during the Vietnam War between 1957 and 1975. The original memorial was dedicated in 1982. This is the second time the replica wall has been set up in Naperville in recent years.
The project was made possible through a partnership between the Naperville Park District, local veterans groups and area businesses.
Naperville printing company Blooming Color printed the names and provided the vinyl paneling for the wall, while 84 Lumber donated the wood for the wall’s frame. Volunteers from the park district and three local veterans organizations — Judd Kendall Veterans of Foreign War Post 3873, Naperville American Legion Post 43 and Naperville Responds for Veterans — helped with the construction.
In all, the venture is a year in the making, park district Executive Director Brad Wilson said ahead of Thursday’s opening ceremony. He clarified that Naperville’s replica is solely a local project. There is a traveling version that tours the country, he said, but Naperville’s is fashioned in-city.
Naperville hosted its first community-created Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2015. It didn’t return for years after. But for 2023, community members worked with the park district to bring the display back to the city to commemorate 50 years since the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973.
Naperville resident Wayne Fischer, a Vietnam veteran who previously served as the Illinois state commander of the American Legion, was at the helm of the organizing effort. He was also one of several speakers at Thursday’s ceremony.
“All veterans of all wars have memories, and it’s tough to deal with, but this wall of remembrance brings back a lot of memories,” he said to the opening day crowd. “Too many of our men and women were injured or killed in action. Those are the ones that we think about. That’s very special, and let’s not forget the memories of all those that were lost.”
Fischer, speaking after ceremonial remarks ended Thursday, said he hopes Naperville’s replica can be educational, especially for younger visitors.
“We want to see if we can help our students, especially high schoolers, understand what the Vietnam War was all about and share stories … to get them familiar with it because war is hell, and unfortunately, the world today seems to be getting more and more involved in wars,” he said.
From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., veterans will be on duty at Naperville’s Grand Pavilion to assist visitors and answer questions, Fischer said.
Naperville’s local memorial also includes 11 plaques for each of the Naperville residents who died in the war. A few moments of Thursday’s 40-minute program was set aside to place yellow roses at each of the plaques.
Later in the ceremony, Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli spoke about the local lives lost.
“When I look over and I see these plaques that feature the names and the photos of our hometown heroes who lost their lives in Vietnam, I look at their birthdays and the days that they lost their lives,” he said. “There’s something here that I want you to remember.
“At any tombstone, there’s always a dash or a hyphen in the middle. Someone once said, that part, that little hyphen, that little space in between those two days — that’s somebody’s story. That’s their life. And in this case, for these 11 heroes from our city, the last part of that hyphen was served, giving their all in Vietnam.”
