Naperville’s fifth Healing Field of Honor is set to take over Rotary Hill from Nov. 7 to 12, bringing the calm that comes from a field of precisely placed American flags, all flapping and swaying in the breeze.
Organized by Operation Support Our Troops — America, along with the Naperville Park District, Naperville Responds for Veterans and other local organizations, the Healing Field’s theme this year is “Welcome Home.”
Honor and welcome for Vietnam veterans
The field aims to honor all military members, and especially Vietnam War-era veterans, as organizers commemorate the 50th anniversary of troops returning from that conflict in 1975. Along with the flags, the display also will include a replica of the Vietnam Wall of Remembrance, which lists the names of more than 58,000 service members who gave their lives in Vietnam between 1957 and 1975.
“We’re trying to honor them and making sure they feel welcome,” said Linda Tuisl, executive director of Operation Support Our Troops — America. “They had such a different experience than our current veterans are having when they come home from a deployment.”
Patriotism front and center
The Healing Field is free to attend, and it’s scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day during its six-day run, which is planned around Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
“We think it’s such a great way to honor our military and remind people about America and patriotism,” Tuisl said.
Before and during the event, community members are encouraged to buy a flag and dedicate it to a service member or veteran they admire. Flags are available at Operation Support Our Troops’ website or by calling (630) 971-1150. Flags for pickup after the event cost $40, or supporters can have them shipped for $50.
Flags on the hill — at least 1,500 of them, organizers say — will be marked with dedication tags featuring personalized messages of thanks, support, love and respect. Tags written during past Healing Fields — held every three or four years since 2009 — have carried a mix of positive, heartfelt, emotional messages, Tuisl said.
“It’s just a truly awe-inspiring tribute to honor everyone in the military,” she said. “It’s a pretty powerful event.”
Healing Field includes two ceremonies to thank veterans
This year’s Healing Field will include two special occasions — an opening ceremony at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, and a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 11 — both at Rotary Hill, 443 Aurora Ave.
Vietnam veteran Wayne Fischer of Naperville said he’s helping plan both programs to introduce and commemorate the Healing Field, plus highlight the Vietnam Wall of Remembrance.
Fischer said he hopes the ceremonies and conversations during this year’s display can help the public gain a fuller appreciation of what it’s like to serve in the military. Fischer’s time in Vietnam spanned 12 months and 20 days in 1967 and 1968, when he worked as a Marine helicopter pilot. He says “war is hell,” but it also comes with positives — namely camaraderie and confidence from fighting together for a shared cause.
“I think it’s important for more people to understand what really goes on there,” Fischer said. “It’s not all blood and guts, but that’s unfortunately a big part of it.”
Fischer said he encourages all Vietnam veterans to visit the wall and stop by the Healing Field to experience its true benefit — an outlet for all the emotions tied to the selfless act of military service.
“Families get to honor family members that served,” Fischer said, “and not necessarily ones that were lost in the service, but the fact that they served.”
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