Veteran impressed with War Memorial changes over the years
Each time John Matheus is at The War Memorial, it gets better and better.
Matheus, of Grosse Pointe Woods, is a Vietnam War veteran. His next time at the nonprofit will be in November, for our annual Veterans Day Breakfast on Monday, Nov. 11.
“When I was there in the 60s and the 90s, it was not as fancy as it is now,” he said.
In June of 1967, Matheus attended a high school dance at The War Memorial and recalls a humorous story about his parents from that night.
“My parents never were chaperones for anything,” he said. “Through junior high school at Brownell Middle School to dances and other activities, they didn’t come. They happened to pick the last high school event to chaperone at. It was after we graduated and we were having a senior party and dance at The War Memorial. All night I couldn’t lose them. I was with my girlfriend and I was so embarrassed. They saved it to the very end of high school to come up and ask me questions.”
The 1967 dance was Matheus’ second time at The War Memorial, the first came a year earlier, also for a dance.
“For that dance in my junior year, it was at night and real dark, so I wasn’t too impressed with the ambiance that night,” he said. “Everyone was wearing bell-bottoms.”
Sharing another War Memorial story, Matheus explained that in 1992, he attended a yearbook advisor seminar. That was when he was the yearbook advisor for a middle school.
“I was delightfully impressed at the changes at The War Memorial. It didn’t even look like the same building,” he said. “I know they have added on. We just moved back to Grosse Pointe about six weeks ago, so The War Memorial is familiar, yet totally different.”
Having not been to The War Memorial since before Les Braves II: At Water’s Edge was installed in the spring of 2023, Matheus almost didn’t recognize the facility, when looking at it from the water. Earlier this year, Matheus and some friends were boating on Lake St. Clair, going to check out the Gordie Howe International Bridge in Detroit. On their journey, they passed The War Memorial, with a nice view of the 50-foot-wide and 25-foot-tall sculpture.
Speaking to his military background, Matheus served in the Navy beginning in 1971 after he graduated college.
“I enlisted in the Naval Air Reserve at Selfridge and had a year of active duty,” he said. “Then I had five years of reserve commitment.”
He notes that it’s important that The War Memorial is a place that honors veterans.
“Without the courage and dedication that Americans have displayed, we live in a free country,” Matheus said. “That’s the ultimate sacrifice, to give blood for their country.”
This year, as part of our 75th anniversary, The War Memorial will share stories from the public about the impact and experiences they have had at the nonprofit organization. Do you have a special War Memorial story or memory? Join us in telling #myWMstory and share yours!