For more than 50 years, a memorial wall and eternal flame have stood outside Evergreen Park American Legion Post 854.
But more than 50 years of weather have taken their toll.
The monument – a tribute to those from Evergreen Park who served in World War II, Vietnam and Korea – is literally falling apart.
Heavy bronze plaques on the monument’s front are starting to pull away from the stones behind.
Bricks and mortar at the back of the monument are shifting or flaking away. Scraps of brick and mortar lie at the base.
Rather than make patch-work repairs that might not last long, the post wants to demolish the entire monument and replace it, post Cmdr. Bob Staudacher said Friday.
“It’s deteriorating. I’ve had it patched twice. It was patched two years ago, but the bricks are really crumbling. That’s the problem,” Staudacher said.
“Water gets behind the plaques. They’re getting loose. (I want to) make sure nobody walks off with them,” Staudacher said.
Replacing the monument will cost an estimated $35,000, said Bill Murray, the post’s senior vice commander.
The post started a fund for the monument and has raised $7,000 since late last summer, Murray said.
“We have to rebuild. It’s not worth trying to repair because it’s going to keep happening,” Murray said of the deterioration.
No one is sure how old the monument is other than it was built soon after World War II, said Staudacher, 75, of Evergreen Park.
The monument originally was at 99th Street and Kedzie Avenue, the site of Evergreen Park High School. When the school was built in the 1950s, the monument was moved to outside the post, 9701 S. Kedzie Ave., Staudacher said.
The monument lists dozens of names of men and women who served in World War II. Smaller plaques are dedicated to those who served in Korea and Vietnam.
Staudacher wants the new monument to include those who served in Operation Desert Storm, or are now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The new monument will likely include an eternal flame like the one that now burns night and day “except when the wind blows it out,” Staudacher said.
“Then I’ve got to light it. Really, it happens once or twice a year,” he said.
Donations have been made from people who play bingo at the post on Sundays and the general public.
Murray said one woman sent $50 and a note.
“She said she often brings visitors from out of town to see the monument. It means a lot to people,” said Murray, who lives in Chicago’s Beverly community.
Donations can be sent to Standard Bank, 7725 W. 98th St., Hickory Hills, IL 60457-9908.
Checks should be made payable to American Legion 854, with “Post 854 Memorial” written in the memo area.
The post has about 770 members, most of whom live in Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn and the city’s Mount Greenwood and Beverly communities, Staudacher said.
He and Murray hope to raise more funds in a split-the-pot raffle. Tickets are $50 each. A winner will be picked at the post’s annual picnic Aug. 29. For more information, call the post at (708) 422-9513.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services