Wisconsin church helps with Marseilles Middle East Conflicts Wall cleanup

There was proof yet again in Marseilles on Wednesday that there is no length a group will go and no distance it will not travel for its faith and its patriotism.

A group of volunteers from the Riverglen Christian Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin, used part of its mission time in Illinois to conduct a spring cleaning on the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 10

Members of the RiverGlen Christian Church reflect as they view the Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall on Wednesday in Marseilles. (Charlie Ellerbrock)

Their efforts and those of volunteers from Laborers Union 393 on the cold and blustery morning left the popular veterans venue in pretty good shape well in advance of the 20th annual Marseilles Freedom Run, this year scheduled for June 15.

“During our research, I got to talking with [Illinois Motorcycle Freedom Run Vice President] Carla McPhee, and you couldn’t have laid a better story on my heart at the time,” said the church group’s leader, Linda Matter. “It’s a special thing for our younger members who don’t always think about veterans. They’re not exposed to them, it’s not in the news, not a big deal, but it is a big deal, and we’re spreading the word around our church. They’re as excited about this trip as I was.”

Matter said that every year the church sponsors mission trips, some overseas to Panama or Mexico or others to regional sites, through partnerships with other churches, with younger participants earning community service hours.

In this case, Marseilles was a side trip for the group ranging in age from 10 to their 40s on their way to a church in Minooka, with other stops slated for Seneca and Chicago.

On this day, while the power-washing was being done by Laborers 393 volunteers, Thomas Simon and Marcelis Edwards, both of Streator, took the group for a tour of the Middle East Conflicts Museum adjacent to the wall.

McPhee said they were deeply affected. One young girl couldn’t stop crying when she realized the significance of many of the artifacts, many of them with their own stories.

The group then viewed the memorial itself before beginning to pull out its rakes, trash bags and cleaning supplies, cleaning up the grassy areas and giving a good scrub to the engraved monuments bearing the names of more than 8,000 fallen service members of all branches.

David Raikes, a Local 393 organizer, said the work preparing the monument will be continuing in the next few weeks, including planting flowers in flower pots and laying new mulch in between the markers bearing the names of those lost during the conflicts.

“It’s always gratifying when people from outside the area take an interest in the memorial,” Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck said. “The city purchased this building, so we were able to let them in [Wednesday]. Otherwise, this might not have been possible.

“It’s still hard getting the word out about the wall, and it’s been 20 years now. People from Marseilles will be on vacation in Florida or somewhere, run into a veteran or a Gold Star family, and they know nothing of the memorial. … We’re very proud of it and hope to have a new building for the museum here on the property in the near future.”