Marine Corps vets want Chicago war memorial moved somewhere it can be seen

The U.S. Marine Corps is known for leaving no one behind.

But some veterans say the military did just that when the 2nd Battalion 24th Marine Regiment left its North Park home three years ago.

When the regiment moved from its building at 3034 W. Foster Ave., it abandoned a gray stone memorial honoring its 16 members killed in Iraq.

Stuck behind a fence, the memorial and building that also housed the Joseph McCarthy Reserve Training Center is owned by the city of Chicago, which uses the property to shelter migrants.

The Marine veterans want the city to move the memorial to a more accessible and prominent location, such as the Chicago Riverwalk, Navy Pier or Soldier Field.

"For the past three years, [families have] had to stand outside of these fences and squint to try to get a view of the names on those walls. That's unacceptable," said Steven Chassee, a veteran of the regiment. The regiment's headquarters left its longtime home in Chicago for north suburban Fort Sheridan in 2021, he said.

"The Marine Corps dropped the ball when they left it behind here. We're hoping that you pick it up and run with it," he said of the city.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's office issued a statement Friday signaling it has "initiated a coordinated effort to preserve the memorial” and is “exploring potential new sites, such as the Lakefront and the Riverwalk, to enhance access and visibility for all.”

The mayor's office said it was working with local Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th) and City Council’s Advisory Council on Veteran Affairs, chaired by Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), who served as a Marine during the Gulf War.

Villegas said the next step is to determine a suitable location for the memorial.

Villegas told the Sun-Times he prefers to move the memorial to the Riverwalk, which he called an “ideal” location that is also prominent. He also prefers Navy Pier because of its history as an installation of the U.S. Navy, of which the Marine Corps is a division.

“We’re going to work with everyone to find a location in the city and make sure it’s in a prominent area,” Villegas said.

The mayor's office, in the statement, emphasized its commitment to preserving war memorials, and pointed to its restoration in March of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Riverwalk.

"We are committed to collaborating closely with our veteran community to ensure the preservation and accessibility of this Memorial for public viewing," the mayor’s statement reads.

The Marine memorial was constructed between the regiment’s Middle East deployments in 2004-2005 and 2007-2008, Chassee said. His unit was still active at the building on Foster, and he said they held a dedication ceremony for the memorial, which he said was paid for by anonymous donors. An additional plaque was added to the memorial in 2009 for the casualties of the second deployment, he said.

The U.S. Marine Corps did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Chassee said “it’s unfortunate” that the memorial is no longer accessible, since many of the unit’s members are still in the Chicago area.

“We created this memorial here because Chicago was our home,” he said. “Not only was the reserve center here, making our base our home, but a lot of the Marines that served here made Chicago their home."