Norridge in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Norridge Vietnam War Memorial
Honor • Courage
Photographed By Sean Flynn, May 21, 2024
1. Norridge Vietnam War Memorial Marker
Donald Warren Bollman, U.S.M.C., March 1, 1967 • Kenneth Wayne Wells, Army, March 5, 1967 • Neil Joseph Cacciottolo, U.S.M.C., May 10, 1967 • Ronald Chester Rogowski, U.S.M.C., Sept. 25, 1967 • James Chris Shukas, Army, April 12, 1970
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, Vietnam.
Location. 41° 57.19′ N, 87° 48.885′ W. Marker is in Norridge, Illinois, in Cook County. Memorial is on North Olcott Avenue north of West Irving Park Road (Illinois Route 19). The marker is south of the Veterans Memorial, and just north of Norridge Village Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4000 North Olcott Avenue, Harwood Heights IL 60706, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); 9/11 Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); 09.11.2001 (approx. 0.4 miles away); Read-Dunning Cemetery No. 3 (approx. 0.9 miles away); Civil War Veterans (approx. 1.2 miles away); Unidentified Victims of the 1871 Chicago Fire (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Cook County Insane Asylum (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Sick and Infirm at Dunning (approx. 1.2 miles away).
Regarding Norridge Vietnam War Memorial.
this page online
Marine Cpl. Donald Warren Bollman, who grew up in Norridge and attended Ridgewood High School, was one of three brothers who served in Vietnam. He was killed in battle in Quang Tri Province on March 1, 1967, at age 23. He is buried in Irving Park Cemetery, about one-third of a mile west of this location. The Irving Park Road bridge across the Des Plaines River, about two miles due west of here, was renamed after Bollman in 2017.
Specialist 4th Class Kenneth W. Wells, 23, was killed four days after Cpl. Bollman, on March 5, 1967, when his helicopter crashed in the Saigon River in Phan Rang. According to a brief Chicago Tribune article about his death, Wells volunteered to serve two extra months in Vietnam "because his buddies needed him." He is buried in Maryhill Catholic Cemetery, about seven miles north of here.
Pfc. Neil Cacciottolo enlisted in the Marines in March 1966. On May 10, 1967, the combat patrol Cacciottolo was part of came under hostile fire, as did a helicopter attempting to rescue the squad. Cacciottolo, a rifleman and 20 years old, was killed during the attempted evacuation. He is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, about two miles southwest of here. His father, Ralph, was a private first class in the Army and served in World War II.
Pfc. Ronald Rogowski was
Photographed By Sean Flynn, May 21, 2024
2. Norridge Vietnam War Memorial
A close-up of the names on the memorial.
Specialist 4th Class James Shukas was 21 years old when he died of wounds from a grenade blast on April 12, 1970, in Hau Nghia Province. According to his obituary, he was survived by his parents, two brothers and a fiancée. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Elmwood Park, about 2½ miles southwest of here.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, May 21, 2024
3. Norridge Vietnam War Memorial
The memorial is seen from the side in this south-facing view; behind it is the Norridge Village Hall.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 203 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 21, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
