Iraq Marine Memorial gets emotional reaction as it moves to North Bend

NORTH BEND, Ohio - The traveling Lima Company Memorial exhibit came to North Bend's Taylor High School after touring the nation for the last three years.

The eight 9-foot tall paintings represent Cincinnati Marine Sgt. David Kreuter and his colleagues. The paintings are taking center stage in the school's second floor Media Center and Library, where they were the topic of conversation on Wednesday.

An opening reception and presentation of the memorial honoring the marines of Lima Company, who were killed in Iraq in 2005, was held with a huge assembly at the school.

The exhibit is called the "Eyes of Freedom" because the artist, Anita Miller, says she tried to make the eyes of the Marines as life-like as possible.

This is the same exhibit that was shown at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus and at Union Terminal inside the Cincinnati Museum Center three years ago.

Students touring the exhibit were very impressed. Senior Torrey Wasserbauer says, "It's really impressive that they took the sacrifices that they did to protect all of us. And how well they did their job."

Trent Lammers, also a senior, added, "My initial reaction to seeing something this powerful was. It makes me appreciate the soldiers more."

Sgt. Kreuter's father, Ken, was also on hand for the reception.

"It's great that he's continuing to make an impact. He's continuing to have an effect in the world," he said.

Sgt. Kreuter's mother, Patricia, says, "It's an opportunity to visit with my son frequently. It means a lot for me to be able to see him in his uniform as a young man."

For Ken, the ending of the Iraq War is bittersweet.

"So in a way, it's great to have the thing over, but it just moves everything back a little further into history, but leaves unresolved the challenges that we still have in certain areas of the world."

The exhibit of "Eyes of Freedom" will continue at Taylor High School, located at 36 E. Harrison Avenue in North Bend, through November. It will be open to the public at the school's Media Center from Noon to 3 p.m., Oct. 25 through Oct. 28.

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, it will be open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Nov. 1, special evening viewing hours will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday, Nov. 6, a Sgt. David Kreuter Memorial Fund breakfast will be held at John Wesley Hall at the Shiloh United Methodist Church from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The church is located at 5261 Foley Road, at Anderson Ferry Road. The exhibit will be available for the public to view at the church from Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6.