Please support the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society, Call: 815-968-1040
LZ Peace Memorial
LZ Peace Memorial @ Midway Village Museum 6799 Guilford Rd. Rockford, Illinois
LZ Peace Memorial @ Midway Village Museum 6799 Guilford Rd. Rockford, Illinois
Dateline: Thursday, July 29, 2021
Above: Mayor Tom McNamara, Blackjack 6 (Nick Parnello), and LT Manny.
The LZ Smoke Brothers had the honor of giving Mayor Tom McNamara a tour of the LZ Peace Memorial, the grounds and many monuments. The memorial is located at the northwest corner of the Midway Village Campus, 6799 Guilford Road, between N. Mulford and Perryville. Blackjack 6 (Nick Parnello) and LT Manny showed the mayor around, two great tour guides.
Mayor Tom McNamara hadn’t been here before and he was heartened at what so many volunteers had done. His father, the former Mayor John McNamara had been an Army officer who served in the Vietnam War. Mayor Tom also had the pleasure of meeting a World War 2 Navy veteran who lives in Rockford.
We hope his visit will help in the quest of making more people aware of this great memorial. LZ Peace is a tribute to all our veterans and it's one of many places to visit in Rockford, Illinois. There are over a million Vietnam veterans in Illinois and eight surrounding states.
Come on over and visit the LZ Peace Memorial. You might see the name of an old friend on the wall. Or you might hear the flags overhead blowing in the wind, or it could be the fluttering of angels' wings, watching over us.
PS. The LZ Smoke Brothers are a bunch of mostly veterans who do what needs to be done at the LZ Peace Memorial. God bless all of our veterans.
Thank you Mr. Mayor for coming out and thanks for the donuts.
The Mayor's comments from his Facebook page.
"I was humbled and honored to join veterans at the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society’s LZ Peace Memorial this morning. The memorial is an incredible asset to the city of Rockford, honoring those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice for us in the Vietnam War. It was inspiring to see the strong relationships the veterans have and the support they show to one another."
Below. August 6, 2021 Skipper and LZ Smoke Brothers welcomed his World War Two friend and his family. They gave them the Grand Tour. Thanks, Skipper, for doing this. Click here to see more on SmugMug.
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2021 Smoke Brothers welcomed Skipper's World War Two friend to the LZ Peace Memorial and gave him and his family and friends the Grand Tour. Thank you for doing this.
Brothers on the bench, Sgt. Friendship, LT Manny (standing) and our favorite barber, soon-to-be-96 years old, Uncle Joe, World War 2 veteran.
2021 FLAG DAY CEREMONY Click this link to see 100's of pictures from our 2021 Memorial Day Observance at the LZ Peace Memorial and millions of other pictures from ceremonies at the LZ Peace Memorial. Look around, there's a lot to see. Thank you for caring.
Click this link for information about adding a name to the Agent Orange Menorial. Thank you.
-President Ronald Reagan-- Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream, it must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same.
12-15-20 Welcome to Janine from Etna, Pennsylvania and Benjamin Hall from Chicago. About 100 people honored our nation's dead this Memorial Day 2020 at the LZ Peace Memorial in Midway Village. Once again we were blessed with Tears From Heaven near the end of ceremony, and those who served in Vietnam said, "You ain't seen nothin' 'til you've been rained on for days and days.
Thanks to the Rockford Register Star for sending their reporters and camerawoman. A TV station was there also. We love you for your support of us and all veterans and service members. Thank you, Wally. Down below is a link to the 90+ pictures and videos we took.
We really appreciate all those who came out in the Corona pandemic. And a BIG salute to the LZ Smoke Brothers for coming through again just like they always do. And, last but not least, the Glory Truck. God Bless America.
Click to see pictures and videos.
Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor all Americans who have been killed it all our wars, and that's over one million men and women since our country was founded. We honor these fallen heroes on Memorial Day, the last Monday of May. This year is falls on May 25th. This ceremony will be quite different from previous years' due to the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing. Please honor and respect those who attend by wearing a face mask or a protective covering your nose and mouth and keeping a safe distance apart. We want you around for a long time. Thank you for honoring these heroes and hope to see you again. Capt. Ken
-President John F. Kennedy The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have paid it, and one path we shall never choose, and that is of surrender or submission.
What is the LZ Peace Memorial?
Vietnam veterans names on the Wall
Gold Star Mothers
Vietnam Veterans Honor Society president Nick Parnello shows generous donation from our friends, Harley Owners Group, Rock River Chapter, Northern Ilinois.
Marines William A. "Skip" Coad and Ed Palumbo, 1965
To donate please send a check to
Vietnam Veterans Honor Society
P. O. Box 4304
Rockford, IL 61110
Or call Nick Parnello at 815-968-1040
We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and contributions are deductible to the extent of the law.
Thank you.
LZ Peace
Sponsored by
Vietnam Veterans Honor Society
The LZ Peace Memorial is a place of honor for those veterans who served our country, in war and in peace. This memorial stands as a testimony to those soldiers from Winnebago County who made the ultimate sacrifice at a time of great conflict. We’re located at Midway Village Museum, 6799 Guilford Road, in Rockford, Illinois.
How It All
Came About
It started on a hill in Pleiku
Joe Falzone and Nick Parnello, two young soldiers from Rockford, met while in Plekiu, South Vietnam in 1969, and they vowed to meet for supper if and when they ever made it back home. They did and here's the rest of the story.
Veterans
Winnebago county veterans
who gave their lives.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are over 20,000 veterans living in Winnebago county and thousands of them are Vietnam veterans.
Illinois has over 246,000 Vietnam Era veterans.
There are over 744,000 veterans of all wars in Illinois as of Sept. 23, 2013.