Garfield Ridge in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Clearing-Park Shops Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 16, 2024
1. Clearing-Park Shops Memorial Marker
[Text of primary memorial:]
We, the citizens of Clearing, dedicate this memorial to the members of this land of liberty that fought and gave their lives in Viet Nam defending our way of life - the American way
We pledge that this fortress of freedom shall not forget you
Sgt. Michael J. Franta Pfc. Timothy J. Egan Pfc. Joseph J. Pinto Pfc. Michael J. Frencl
[Text of stone below the memorial:]
Restoration of the memorial provided by the We Remember Committee, November 5, 1989
Erected 1971.
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, Vietnam.
Location. 41° 47.547′ N, 87° 46.822′ W. Memorial is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Garfield Ridge. It is at the intersection of 55th Street and Archer Avenue, on the left when traveling east on 55th Street. The memorial is in the triangular park formed by Archer Avenue's convergence with 55th Street, near Mulligan Avenue. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60638, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
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); Solidarity Monument (within shouting distance of this
this page online
More about this memorial. The Clearing neighborhood on Chicago's far southwest side is south and west of Midway Airport; its name derives from a failed plan for a railway switching yard. Park Shops likely refers to a shopping center within the neighborhood, about one mile due south of this memorial. However, based on the boundaries for the city's 77 community areas, this memorial is located in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood; Clearing's northern border is 59th Street, about a half-mile south. Three of the four men on this plaque lived south of this memorial in Clearing; the fourth, Michael Frencl, came from an unincorporated neighborhood a few miles north and east of here called Central Stickney.
This memorial sits
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 16, 2024
2. "Solidarity Triangle"
In front of the memorial is a plaque related to a 1989 refurbishment of the memorial. The Solidarity Monument, dedicated to Polish president Lech Walesa, is in the far background, partially obscured by a small veterans memorial obelisk. Behind the Clearing-Park Shops memorial are two small obelisks dedicated to veterans. This triangular park, formed by the convergence of the diagonal Archer Avenue with 55th Street, is sometimes known as "Solidarity Triangle" or "Walesa Triangle."
Regarding Clearing-Park Shops Memorial. The plaque honors four men of this southwest side neighborhood who died in Vietnam.
Michael John Franta was an all-city lineman for Lindblom High School, about six miles west of here, and he played football for two seasons at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater before he was drafted in the Army. Sgt. Franta was 21 years old when he was killed by enemy fire in Quang Ngai Province on May 23, 1970, just two weeks after he began his tour in Vietnam. His parents lived at 6218 S. Neenah, about a mile south of this memorial. Franta is buried at Orland Memorial Park Cemetery, about 15 miles south of here in suburban Orland Park.
Pfc. Timothy J. Egan had also graduated from Lindblom High School; his home address, according to a Chicago Tribune news report about his death, was 6100 S. Moody, about a half-mile from this memorial. He had been in Vietnam for about a month when he was killed by enemy fire in Kontum Province on June 22, 1967, at age 19. The newspaper reported that he hoped to become a police officer after completing his tour of duty. He is buried in suburban Evergreen Park at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery.
Pfc. Joseph J. Pinto had also been in Vietnam for only a month when he was killed by enemy mortar fire on August 26, 1969. Pinto joined the Marines right after he turned 18 in January of 1969, according to the Tribune, after completing three years at St. Rita High School on Chicago's south side; his mother lived at 5857 W. 63rd St., about 2 miles southeast of here. He is buried in suburban Alsip at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Pfc. Michael J. Frencl was a radioman for the 9th Marine Division who was killed by an enemy grenade near the Laotian border on February 26, 1969, at age 19. He lived at 4856 S. Linder, less than two miles northeast of this memorial, in an unincorporated part of Cook County called Central Stickney. Frencl is also buried at St. Mary Cemetery.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 17, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 363 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 18, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2. submitted on October 17, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
