River Forest in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Anne T. Smedinghoff Memorial Garden
Photographed By Sean Flynn
1. Anne T. Smedinghoff Memorial Garden Marker
Officer killed in Afghanistan while delivering books to schoolchildren.
Anne T. Smedinghoff
Memorial Garden
September 18, 1987 - April 6, 2013
"Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face,
but with great purpose in heart." --Gordon B. Hinckley
Erected 2013 by River Forest Public Library.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Afghanistan. A significant historical date for this entry is June 1, 2013.
Location. 41° 53.589′ N, 87° 48.871′ W. Marker is in River Forest, Illinois, in Cook County. Marker can be reached from 735 Lathrop south of Chicago Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: River Forest IL 60305, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. River Forest Women's Club (here, next to this marker); River Forest Firsts (within shouting distance of this marker); The River Forest Tennis Club (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); River Forest 9/11 Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); River Forest Memorial to the Great Wars (approx. 0.3 miles away); Frances E. Willard (approx. 0.4 miles
this page online
More about this marker. The garden is to the right of the main entrance to the River Forest Public Library. It was dedicated to Anne Smedinghoff about five weeks after her death in Afghanistan in 2013.
Regarding Anne T. Smedinghoff Memorial Garden. Anne T. Smedinghoff was born and raised in River Forest, and attended grade school at nearby St. Luke's School and high school at Fenwick in Oak Park. Smedinghoff joined the foreign service with the U.S. State Department immediately after graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 2009, and in 2013 she was working as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. On April 26, 2013, a vehicle transporting Smedinghoff, three U.S. soldiers and an Afghani translator to deliver books to a boys school in Qalat, Zabul Province, was struck by a suicide bomber, killing all five passengers. Smedingoff is buried in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.
Also see . . .
1. Smedinghoff Garden dedicated at River Forest Public Library
Photographed By Sean Flynn, July 21, 2023
2. Anne T. Smedinghoff Memorial Garden and the River Forest Public Library
Excerpt: "Tom Smedinghoff said the dedication of the garden in his daughter’s name was a perfect fit, as her interest in becoming a diplomat was inspired by her love of reading.(Submitted on July 25, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
'It was striking to me that when I was going through her possessions that came back from Kabul and was going through the packet that had her passport and driver’s license, there was her River Forest library card in that packet as well,' he said."
2. U.S. adviser killed in Afghan-led military operation. From the April 8, 2013, New York Daily News
Excerpt: "A rising star in the State Department who fulfilled a lifelong dream traveling to dangerous locales was among the five Americans killed Saturday in Afghanistan by a car bombing.(Submitted on July 25, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Anne Smedinghoff, a 25-year-old native of suburban Chicago, is the first American diplomat to die on the job since last year's attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, which took the life of Ambassador Christopher Stevens."
Photographed By Sean Flynn, July 21, 2023
3. Anne T. Smedinghoff Memorial Garden
Photographed By National Museum of American Diplomacy
4. State Department plaque dedicated to Anne T. Smedinghoff
This plaque dedicated to Smedinghoff originally hung at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and is now in the possession of the National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington, D.C.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 25, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
