The observance of Veterans Day on November 11 is a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
We invited Marc Wilson, author of Hero Street, U.S.A: The Story of Little Mexico’s Fallen Soldiers, to reflect on some of the lesser-known veterans from Hero Street U.S.A. in Silvis, Illinois – the single block in America that suffered the most combat deaths in World War II and Korea.
Of death and heroes, Tanilo Sandoval is an expert
On a bright autumn day, after a prairie wind storm had blown most of the brightly colored leaves from the towering oak, maple and elm trees, Tanilo guided me through the more than 25,000 graves at the U.S. military cemetery on Arsenal Island, Illinois.
The vastness of the white markers could overwhelm, but Tanilo knows where the bodies are buried. He’s been a regular here for more than 60 years. Many times, he’s heard Taps played. Many times he’s walked the vast graveyard alone, silently visiting his fallen brothers. Many times tears have trickled down his long, white beard.
Three of his brothers are buried here, so are four of his childhood friends. Two other gravestones serve as memorials for his friends whose bodies never were found after they were killed in combat. Veterans Day has special meaning for him – on top of everything else, his father died on Veterans Day. Memories haunt his soul.
When President Woodrow proposed the first Armistice Day for Nov. 11, 1919, he said, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service…”
November 11 was chosen because Germany signed the Armistice ending World War I at the 11th hour or the 11th day of the 11th month. Congress formally made Armistice Day a federal holiday in 1938. After World War II and the Korean War, efforts were made to expand the day to cover all U.S. military veterans, and, in 1954, Congress passed a law to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
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