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CRYSTAL LAKE – Thomas O’Reilly of Crystal Lake was a naval officer who was temporarily assigned to the Marine Corps at one point. During his service, he was deployed in 2005 to Iraq, where he said he saw a lot of “ugly things.”
“I was over there when it was really ugly, and there was a lot of fighting,” O’Reilly said. “I’ve seen a lot of fighting. … The first night I was there I was in a helicopter headed for Baghdad, and I looked out and we were getting shot at.”
When he returned, O’Reilly discovered that Joe’s Barber Shop in Crystal Lake was displaying military items. So he brought over a flag that was flown over a Marine air base in May 2006 in Al Asad, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Old photographs of the country also are included in the display.
“I just thought people in the area should know that lots of us have been touched and affected by those wars,” O’Reilly said. “Jack [McArdle] was nice enough to put it up on his wall, and it has been there since.”
In 2005, Jack McArdle, the owner of Joe’s Barber Shop, created a display in the shop on a tree to show off military members’ accomplishments. McArdle’s wife, Pat, suggested that he go to a recruiter’s office to do something with the tree for Memorial Day that year.
As he received positive feedback, word of the display spread to the community, and people started bringing their own items to the barber shop, 29 N. Williams St. in downtown Crystal Lake.
“It went over so well that [my co-workers] here said, ‘Let’s keep it up,’ ” McArdle said. “So more people started bringing stuff in over the years and putting it on the tree. It happened so fast.”
He later took the items off the tree and displayed them around a section of the shop. The display includes hats, flags, old photographs and other items that show local residents’ links to the military.
Customers walking in can see a piece of steel from the hull of the USS Forrest Sherman (DD-931), a destroyer. The Sherman was commissioned in 1955 and was the first class of destroyers built after World War II. The unique item was donated by 76-year-old Stan Manchester, who was on the ship for two years as a signalman.
“When they scrapped it, they cut sections of the hull and sent them to anybody who had served on the ship,” Manchester said. “I gave it to Joe’s Barber Shop so it wasn’t just sitting around unused and not looked at.”
Manchester was on the ship during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. Along with the piece of steel is a certification of authenticity and the battle ensign flown over the ship at the time.
“I was very happy to see the ship get the recommendation it deserves,” Manchester said. “It’s not about me, it’s about the ship and the battle that was there. And there’s all kinds of stories here from different people who served. You look at all those hats, and there is a story behind every one of them.”
Crystal Lake resident Chris Borchert was deployed in Afghanistan with the Air Force. When he returned, Borchert brought over a flag to the local barber shop that was flown over Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and the U.S. embassy in Kabul in 2015.
“I dedicated it to Joe’s because he had all that military stuff up there already, and I wanted to give that back to him,” Borchert said. “By Jack displaying the flag and other items, I think it just puts the community in touch with the local people here that continue to or have served around the world, and create a reminder for them of what they’ve done.”
Also at the shop is a print called “Into the Heart of Darkness,” gifted by military recruiter Tom Kolanko, barber Vikki Fortin said. The piece depicts Operation Furious Pursuit, which planned to seize key terrain, remove the Taliban and provide lasting security in 2007 to Sangin, a town in Afghanistan.
However, the display that originally was made for Memorial Day isn’t just up for the holiday. All of these items are up year-round.
“Oh yeah, I’ve noticed people always checking it out when they come in,” McArdle said. “You’ve got to be aware of what’s going on around you. The military is defending our country, and we’ve got to be ready for anything. Most of the people I think they are aware, but we have to be thankful for the people who are serving, have served and for all the people who gave their lives. So I keep it up all the time as a reminder of that.”
McArdle joined Joe’s Barber Shop in 1959 when he was 18 years old. The shop was founded by and named after Joseph Scotillo, who died in 2009 at age 87. McArdle became the sole owner of the shop in 1996 after Scotillo’s retirement.
Along with owning the shop, McArdle is a member of the Crystal Lake Lions Club and carries a 30-foot-by-50-foot American flag in the Memorial Day parade every year to remember all of the men and women who died while serving in the military.
“It’s a solemn time for us,” McArdle said. “We don’t goof around, we just carry it and pay our respects. We have to remember that a lot of people gave their lives.”
O’Reilly said he loves the display at Joe’s Barber Shop because it pays tribute to those who have fallen and those who were able to return safely.
“Memorial Day focuses on the folks who don’t come back,” O’Reilly said. “One thing I don’t think people talk about enough is that every Memorial Day is also a day for all of us who did come back to remember our close friends and others who helped you in any way.”
McArdle’s display at the barber shop won’t be the only thing people can check out Monday. In Woodstock, several businesses are participating in an exhibit to show off military uniforms, photographs and military equipment. Vietnam veteran Butch Borchardt started the display last year and is helping to organize it this year.
“I think what [Jack] has done by putting all that stuff together is magnificent and selfless,” O’Reilly said. “He’s really tried to show people his love for the United States military, the sacrifice of so many over the years, and show that there are people around here who have served our country.”