“He said ‘dad was in the Navy. I’m going to be a Marine.’ He said, ‘mom, what did you do for your country?’ said Gloria Caruso, Gold Star mother of Sgt. David Caruso. “And I said, ‘I gave them you.’ And actually I ended up doing that.”
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Today marked the groundbreaking ceremony for the Naperville Gold Star Families Memorial Monument. The 7-foot tall, 15-foot long tribute will be erected at Veterans Park to honor the Naperville families of service men and women who lost their lives serving in the military.
“It’s so very important for everyone to remember the ones that we’ve lost,” said Caruso. “It is a place that will always be here and remind people that this country has lost a number of people just to keep our country free.”
Community Support
The tribute will be two-sided and made of black granite. According to the committee, Naperville has lost 127 people in the service over the years. And during all that time, the community has stepped up.
“There’s a lot of good values and support of the people that defend us and protect us,” said Brand Bobosky, president of the Naperville Century Walk and Gold Star committee member. “Again it’s something that you may find in other places but not to the degree you’ll find here in Naperville.”
“It’s been almost 17 years that he’s been gone and they still remember which means so very much to us,” said Caruso.
The plan is to have the monument done by May 2022.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports and Becky Budds report.
