EAST PEORIA, Ill. — Not only will the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall be on display next week in the Levee District of East Peoria, but the opening ceremony will feature a decorated guest.
Lt. Col. Harold “Hal” Fritz will be the keynote speaker for Thursday’s proceedings.
Commissioner Daniel Decker detailed Fritz’s background.
“He was in a convoy that was traveling to a location, and the convoy came under immense attack, and immediately, he was injured pretty badly,” he said. “The convoy stopped because of the damage and everything came to a halt.
“Recognizing they didn’t have the ability to communicate with each other, he risked his own life, going from vehicle to vehicle… the enemy could see him. But, [he] recognized ‘if I don’t do this, we’ll never make it out of here.’
“He formulated a plan, went from vehicle to vehicle, telling everybody what the plan was, and then they started executing the plan and they started to drive back the forces.”
That’s part one of a two-part story.
“The enemy got a second wave of support, and the firefight became that much worse. When it did, there were quite a few injuries and casualties, and he personally jumped up on one of the vehicles with a machine gun and top and began firing,” said Decker.
“It was that moment it turned the tide enough to allow those in his platoon to began effectively driving back the enemy.
“The only reason those who came back from that [incident] did so was because of him.”
For his brave efforts, Fritz was awarded a Medal of Honor.
Fritz is a Peoria resident who works at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Bob Michel Outpatient Clinic.
The noon event will also feature a speech from Brig. Gen. Clayton Moushon, an East Peoria resident who serves as the first Air National Guard assistant to the commander, Legal Operations Agency, and is currently a practicing attorney.
There will be a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by 14-year-old violinist Elise Ahrens.
Find out more about Fritz, Moushon, and the event from the full interview with Decker here:
