Please support the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society, Call: 815-968-1040
LZ Peace Memorial
Merry Christmas
It was colder that the proverbial "you know what" but I went to the LZ Peace Memorial on Christmas day. I posted some pictures and a video on our SmugMug page. It's a 3-minute video with no audio.
Have a Merry Christmas and the Holiday Season.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR
Our Chaplain, Angel 6. and his wife provided us with a poem and a Christmas video that features some of our brothers and members of the American military who fought in the Vietnam War. Rockford veterans and supporters show up at near the :50 second mark but you should watch the whole thing. See the link to the video below or click here.
This is Angel 6 writing. The poem itself came from a desire to express sentiments I had been feeling for years, ever since the day the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society and the Smoke Brothers first took me under their wing upon my return from Iraq. Vietnam Vets truly were my heroes while I was growing up. For them to look me in the eye and call me "brother" meant more to me than I could possibly express!
Here's the poem.
I came home.
You were the tip of the spear making sure I was welcomed home!
You looked me in the eyes and called me brother! The healing began.
Vietnam Vet, you are my hero! Vietnam Vet, I thank Almighty God, you are my brother!
Angel 6 continues. My wife came up with the video idea. Our church for more than half a century has put on a summer music concert. It has always had patriotic elements. For years the only theme was in fact patriotism, the whole God & Country thing. My wife now oversees the concert. She was familiar with my poem. She presented her video idea. It grew from there. One of her colleagues came to a Smoke at the LZ with his cameras. He then produced the video for our 2022 Summer Music Celebration.
Here's the link to the video. It's on a Googe photo page.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nvhb_g-vxM2tGCWht_g8tqnLExf9329K/view
Blessings,
Steve Cooper (Angel 6)
"... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Hey, Blackjack 6, thanks for the door. "Capt. Ken"
Thanks to all everyone who braved the cold, 40 mile an hour wind on Veterans Day. Click this link to see almost 200 pictures and one or two good videos. It was nice to see and hear Mayor Tom McNamara. Here's a little known fact: his father, John McNamara, former Mayor of Rockford served in Vietnam as an Army Officer. Go Papa, and God Bless them all. "Capt. Ken"
Please join us at 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 11, 2022 when we honor all our Veterans. We'll be at Midway Village, LZ Peace Memorial, 6799 Guilford Road and we hope to see you. Thank you for your support and THANK YOU veterans for your service. See you Friday morning. God Bless the United States of America.
The 2022 Fall VetsRoll, sponsored by Finnegans' RV Center, was a great success. Here's a link to the videos from channel 23, WIFR. Welcome Home, "Skipper" and "Admiral" and "Tango" and "Ramrod." Thanks to Aaron and Andy.
Thanks again from Nick Parnello, aka, Blackjack 6 to all those who came out August 7, 2022 for the LZ Purple Heart Memorial dedication. If you have any pictures please email them to FlyNickNow@gmail.com. Click here to go to SmugMug to see the 158 pictures and videos we took.
Sept. 24, 2022 Pictures from our LZ Smoker Brothers "Capt. Ken" Nelson, Tango. Ramrod and others took of Sgt. Flag's tour of the Peace Memorial and the new Purple Heart Memorial. What a great tribute to those wounded in combat and all who honorably served. We are so blessed to have all those who volunteer and take care of the LZ Peace Memorial. Every one of them. And a big HOORAH to all our Smoke Brothers.
The pictures of the unveiling of the Purple Heart Memorial will be online pretty soon. Thanks for your patience. Here's the link to all our pictures.
OPERATION LZ PURPLE. The LZ Smoke Brothers are proud to announce the birth of a new memorial at the LZ Peace Memorial and you're invited to attend. As always, Gold Star Mother Andie White will be with us. Please join with us at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, August 7, 2022. We're located at the northwest corner of the Midway Village campus, over by the Central Christian Church's parking lot. Here's a link to everything you ever wanted to know about the Purple Heart but were afraid to ask. Remember, that's Sunday, August 7, 2022 at 2:00 in the afternoon. Thank you for caring and for your support of all veterans.
Daniel "Seabee 1" Burd, a Vietnam veteran and Navy Seabee, died at home on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Nick Parnello gives everyone a nickname so Dan was appropriately named "Seabee 1". Seabee truly was Number 1 in everything he did. Whether he was visiting and giving communion to the sick, or helping out at St. Rita's Catholic Church, or doing his thing at the LZ Peace Memorial, Seabee put his heart and soul into everything he did.
Seabee was one of the original LZ Smoke Brothers. These are the folks who take care of the LZ Peace Memorial and prepare it for military ceremonies on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Agent Orange Ceremony and Veterans Day. To many of us, Seabee was the Smoke Brothers chief cook and bottle washer. He loved grilling brats and he made a pretty good cup of what he called Navy coffee.
Some of us were fortunate to have visited Dan the day before he passed away. We'd like to thank his wife, Lori and son, Todd "Senior Chief" for allowing us to be with Seabee one last time.
Funeral services will be at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, 1860 S. Mulford Rd., Rockford, Illinois on, Wednesday, July 6, between 5 and 7 pm. Here's the link to Dan's obituary at Fitzgerald Funeral home.
Flag Day 2022 at the LZ Peace Memorial. We have a video and slideshow of how we respectfully and reverently retire Old Glory on Flag Day 2022 at the LZ Peace Memorial. Mr. Marine explains why the flag is folded 13 times. Then he picks up one of 13 folded flags and hands it to Charlie 6, who along with Skipper unfolds the flag and they place it in the Ceremonial Burning device. They salute the flag as it is retired and the ashes are buried later in a solemn ceremony. Thank you for coming to help us honor Old Glory.
This Flag Day was one of the hottest ever. One of the Vietnam veterans said, "If you think this was hot, you should go back to Vietnam, where it was always stinking hot, with bullets and death in the air. The Memorial Day story & slideshow follows this story.
Below are two links to the pictures Capt. Ken took, and the beautiful cards we gave out.
Pictures of our Flag Retirement Ceremony held here at the LZ Peace Memorial on Flag Day 2022
PIctures of the handout cards we always hand out.
LZ Peace Memorial @ Midway Village Museum 6799 Guilford Rd. Rockford, Illinois
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.
-President Ronald Reagan Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our childred in the bloodstream, it must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same.
Every Memorial Day we hand out "In Rememberence" cards of those who were killed in the Vietnam War. Here's a link to see all of them plus thousand of pictures from past years.
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
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.
To donate please send a check to
Vietnam Veterans Honor Society
P. O. Box 4304
Rockford, IL 61110
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.