VAU Fallen Heroes Memorial Dog Tag Flag returning to Cicero this Fourth of July

Veterans & Athletes United (VAU) will have the opportunity to display the Global War on Terror (GWOT) Fallen Heroes Memorial at this year’s Cicero Fourth of July Celebration during Lights Over Morse.

The memorial is made of over 7,000 dog tags with all the names of those heroes who have fallen in the War on Terror. The memorial will be on display July 3 to 6.

“We hope to bring awareness of the heavy price paid for this flag and to keep our country free,” VAU Founder and President James Howard said. “Behind each one of the 7,065 dog tags is a personal story of true heroism and selfless sacrifice. We hope our memorial provides an opportunity for visitors to honor, reflect, and heal. To remember all those who gave their lives defending this great country in the War on Terror.”

VAU is an all-volunteer veterans 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing many programs that support veterans with disabilities of all generations. The second part of VAU’s mission is to honor all the fallen heroes from the war on terror. The first VAU Fallen Heroes Memorial was completed in 2018 and now two travel the country. The memorial takes the form of the American flag when draped on a fallen service member’s casket, standing six feet tall and 28 feet wide. It has 50 gold stars honoring Gold Star families nationwide. Both memorials have traveled to almost 200 locations nationwide since 2018.

VAU uses all proceeds from its travel to support Gold Star family organizations and the GWOT Memorial Foundation’s mission to build a national memorial in Washington, D.C. More details can be found at vetsau.org/memorial.