DuPage County Honors Fallen Soldiers in Memorial Ceremony

Under the bright sun on Sunday afternoon, the DuPage County Veterans’ Memorial stood with its shadow projecting from a towering sundial. This monument represents enduring sacrifices of past and future wars, reminding visitors of the grief that transcends time. This is deeply felt by the families of 26 county residents who lost their lives in military service from as far back as the Black Hawk War in 1832.

Many young lives were taken, most under the age of 30. One such soul was U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Nicholas Larson. After completing high school in 2003, he joined the military and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sadly, he died on November 9, 2004, during the battle for Fallujah, at just 19 years old.

“You lose your grandparents, and your mom and dad, eventually. But you just don’t expect to lose a child. It’s brutal,” said Dave Larson, Nicholas’ father, as he attended a Memorial Day observance event near the county fairgrounds with his wife.

Dave Larson wore a dog tag necklace showcasing a yearbook photo of his son wearing a quirky smile. “I saw kids that he grew up with getting married, having children,” he reflected. Dave stood among more than 24 white steel crosses arrayed in a semicircle. Nicholas’ cross was adorned with red, blue, and white flowers alongside a small U.S. flag.

“I remember him the way he was, but I stopped beating myself over the head, and so did my wife, about ‘Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve,’” he shared. “We’re just glad that our son Nick did what he did.”

The memorial’s first cross is for Navy Commander Dan Shanower of Naperville, who perished in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Other honored soldiers either died or suffered fatal injuries during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“You see enough of this stuff … What we’re going into now? I pray we get out of there,” Larson commented, referring to the U.S.-Israel campaign on Iran, which began in February and resulted in thousands of casualties in Iran and Lebanon, including 13 U.S. soldiers.

During the small Sunday ceremony, Gold Star families gathered by flagpoles displaying flags of the United States, Illinois, DuPage County, and the POW/MIA flag. Captain Anthony Catella, chaplain with the U.S. Veteran Reserve Corps, gave a speech drawing from Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag,” John Wayne’s “Why Are You Marching, Son?” and President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address.

“Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has marched for liberty and freedom,” Catella stated. “Yet the question is asked in each generation: ‘Why are you marching, America?’”

He recounted conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the present-day struggles. “Mission accomplished. But in a larger sense, my countrymen, not yet. Not yet,” he emphasized. “For history teaches the struggle for a country and a world at peace, where freedom endures, is a never-ending one.”

The ceremony concluded with a weapons salute comprising three shots, followed by bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace.” The county flag was replaced with the Gold Star service flag for the first time.

The color guard exited the memorial with flags aloft during the Memorial Day celebration, which took place on May 24, 2026, at the DuPage County Veterans’ Memorial in Wheaton. This site commemorates DuPage County residents who served in military engagements, from the Black Hawk War to the latest conflicts.