Those walking or driving down Pontiac Street on Memorial Day may have noticed a somber and touching tribute to our country’s fallen soldiers.
On the front lawn of 71 Pontiac Street were two pairs of black combat boots, each with a rifle standing barrel-down between them and army helmets perched atop the rifle stocks.
Whenever a serviceman or woman is lost on the battlefield, it has become customary to arrange their boots, rifle and helmet in this manner. The surviving members of their squad then gather around the makeshift memorial and pay tribute to their fallen comrades.
Oxford Village resident Lynn Filhart constructed the memorial at his Pontiac Street home for the second year in a row to honor all those who died fighting in America’s battles.
Filhart, himself a veteran of the U.S. Army, said members of his family have proudly served their country from the Civil War through Desert Storm.