Eyes of Freedom coming to Fostoria

FOSTORIA — A second memorial to fallen American servicemen will be in Fostoria from June 26 to 30. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be joined by an outdoor display of Eyes of Freedom, a collection of nine paintings and a bronze sculpture that honors all who have served in the military while depicting the 22 U.S. Marines and one Navy corpsman who were killed in the Gulf War in 2005 while serving with the third battalion of the 25th Marine regiment, known as Lima Company. Eyes of Freedom consists of nine paintings with images of the men who were killed, along with a bronze sculpture of a grieving serviceman holding the dog tag of a friend. The sculpture is titled "Silent Battle" and serves notice of the post-traumatic stress that many veterans encounter. Funds have been raised to bring the display to Fostoria. Both the traveling wall, a three-fifths sized version of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and the Eyes of Freedom will be placed in the grassy area between H.L. Ford Drive and the south parking lot of Fostoria Junior/Senior High School. Toby Colbert, past commander of Earl Foust Post 73 of the American Legion in Fostoria, and his wife, Dottie, gained the idea of bringing Eyes of Freedom to Fostoria after seeing it at last year's 42nd annual All Veterans Reunion near Kokomo, Indiana. "We were very moved by it," Dottie Colbert said. The Colberts noted that suicide among veterans is a widespread problem. "Dot and I, we get kind of worked up when we talk about this because we don't know what to do," Toby Colbert said. "We've got veterans (committing suicide) all the time. Two people who we actually knew have committed suicide. One of them was a really good friend of ours, and we knew the family of the other one. "We've got to do something. We're just not sure what can be done. Suicide is at a rate of 22 veterans a day — that's the calculated rate." Columbus artist Anita Miller, who created Eyes of Freedom, offered her work as a symbol of hope on website www.limacompanymemorial.org. "Art can create a thin place for restoration and healing as it becomes the language through which the soul and psyche can dialogue with itself to receive wisdom, healing and find balance," she is quoted as saying. "My job is to follow my muses as best as I am able and trust that each individual will find what he/she needs in the work." The Colberts operate the Seneca County Honor Bus, which allows veterans, at no cost, to travel to Washington, D.C., to see the military monuments and other attractions. They spoke of Vietnam veterans who gained emotional relief after visiting the wall, including one, of whom Toby Colbert said, "It changed his life." The Colberts expect similar reactions in Fostoria, and said counselors will be available at the site between June 26 and 30. "We don't know that they've ever been displayed together," Toby Colbert said of the traveling wall and Eyes of Freedom. "It will bring some relief to some Vietnam veterans." A parade has been scheduled to bring the traveling wall into Fostoria, Toby Colbert said. He said it will begin at Reineke Ford of Findlay, 12000 Hancock County Road 199 at 9 a.m. on June 26, with members of the American Legion Riders and the Black Swamp Veterans Motorcycle Club taking part. "Everybody I know who's ever been in a motorcycle escort for the wall says that is the most emotional ride they have ever been on," Toby Colbert said.