CHICAGO (WLS) --
As the nation honor its veterans this week, a ceremony was held Thursday to decommission a longtime memorial in Chicago that pays tribute to fallen soldiers. The memorial in the Dan Ryan Woods will be restored, then relocated.The area near 87th and Western in the Beverly neighborhood is as bustling as it is beautiful. The Dan Ryan Woods are right there - a testament to how this city values natural spaces. But hidden in the woods for decades was something that never should have been forgotten. Its discovery now - at this time of year - reminds us to never forget. It's a long-forgotten place to go, remember and heal.
Perhaps a century after it was put up by a group calling itself the Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers, a 4-foot-high monolith that once displayed a sizeable plaque is decommissioned -- but to rise again.
"It has a rebirth. It is going to be bigger, it'll be better and the mothers will be remembered," said former Chicago alderman and Marine James Balcer.
Those mothers were presumably the sorrowful souls who lost children in World War I, before the American Council of Gold Star Mothers was even formed. Their heirs are pledging to be their voice again, including a woman who played in these woods as a child, and lost her son in war five years ago.
"We serve veterans and their families as part of our healing and it is part of our mission. Does that work for you? It works great for me," said Modie Lavin, a Gold Star mother.
The monument was uncovered over the last few years as the Cook County Forest Preserve cut back invasive species. Now through public and private money, it will be restored and eventually moved across 87th Street to a place of honor by the local visitor's center. Sandy Ochsner's son James died fighting in Afghanistan 12 years ago.
"This is wonderful to honor whoever put this up," Ochsner said.
"Is that a reminder to us to never forget? People forget, I have never forgotten, the sacrifices to this country, the men and women that have died for it we should all remember," Balcer said.
"The loss of a child is grand for us and to have these mothers most likely in this area of Chicago to erect this in memory of their sons, and that connection as I stand here today in 2017 is quite magical," Lavin said.
Research suggests the monument went up sometime in the 1920s, but before 1928, when the Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers would have been absorbed into the national organization we know today. But there are really no records to speak of.
If the slab of stone can't be repaired, it will be reimagined into a new monument, probably costing all in $150,000 to $200,000.
Forgotten World War I Monument Will Be Dismantled And Moved After ...
https://www.dnainfo.com/.../world-war-i-monument-dan-ryan-woods-forgotten-moving...
Oct 5, 2017 - BEVERLY — A forgotten World War I monument will be dismantled and later moved within the Dan Ryan Woods following a "decommissioning ceremony" at ... A small plaque that reads "Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers" is all that remains on the monument that stood shrouded by tall weeds for years.Crumbling War Memorial In Dan Ryan Woods Being Used As Outdoor ...
https://www.dnainfo.com/.../crumbling-war-memorial-dan-ryan-woods-being-used-as...
Apr 29, 2016 - BEVERLY — A crumbling monument in the Dan Ryan Woods erected long ago to honor fallen members of the military is being used as an outdoor toilet stall.Will Forgotten World War I Monument Get Some Much Needed ...
https://www.dnainfo.com/.../world-war-i-monument-dan-ryan-woods-87th-western-chic...
May 17, 2017 - A crumbling war memorial in the Dan Ryan Woods will be the subject of a meeting set for 9-10 a.m. Saturday at Ridge Park in Beverly. The only remaining marker on the monument reads "Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers." View Full Caption. DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig. BEVERLY — The fate of a ...[PDF]decommissioning of the chicago council of gold star mothers memorial ...
nwvu.org/admin/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/decommission.pdf
Nov 9, 2017 - STAR MOTHERS MEMORIAL AT. DAN RYAN WOODS. The Memorial located at the intersection of 87th Street and Western Avenue has endured many hardships. Erected after the World War One by the Chicago. Council of Gold Star Mothers to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice their children paid in the ...Forgotten Chicago Public Group | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/forgottenchicago/permalink/10155347141674520/
A group of local residents seeks your help in regards to a long forgotten WWI era monument put in place by a group called The Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers. This organization was founded by mothers who had lost children in the Great War. The monument, currently located in the Dan Ryan Woods Forest Preserve ...Decommissioning Ceremony for CCGSM memorial - Facebook
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We are planning a decommissioning ceremony on November 9th at 11 AM for the Chicago Council ofGold Star Mothers memorial at Dan Ryan Woods. Please share. About Chicago Council of Gold StarMothers. Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers. Community. The sole purpose of the Chicago Council ofGold StarLocal residents seek new site for Gold Star memorial | Community ...
www.beverlyreview.net/news/.../article_855895e2-3fc7-11e7-aab7-7bb5235bcece.ht...
May 23, 2017 - The condition of a monument honoring fallen soldiers at 87th Street and Western Avenue, in the Dan Ryan Woods, has become a concern for local residents, who are investigating if they can move it to another location. The monument contains the inscription, “Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers.Memorial set for decommissioning ceremony Nov. 9 | Community ...
www.beverlyreview.net/.../article_019b4122-add2-11e7-8f57-3358e3464c16.html
Oct 10, 2017 - The Chicago Council of Gold Star Mothers memorial on the southeast corner of 87th Street and Western Avenue is set to be relocated. A decommissioning ceremony will take place on Nov. 9, and the memorial will eventually be moved to the northeast corner of 87th and Western, in front of the Dan Ryan ...
