Paper stars, pictures and a story: Washington retirement home uniquely honors its veterans

Inside a retirement village in Washington is a three-wall stretch of stars.

Glued to each one is a picture of a friend or family member who served in the military, many of them residents at the retirement village themselves. The project honors those who served but were never recognized publicly.

Betty Dobbins, 81, is a resident at the Villas of Holly Brook in Washington. A former teacher, she has many past students who are veterans, and started the project last November to commemorate Veteran's Day and add some color to the space.

"The residents here, every day somebody is stopping to look at another person," Dobbins said. "They read those and they are interested in them and they ask questions."

Her idea quickly took off as Holly Brook residents and employees began adding photos and information about their own loved ones to the wall. Since last November, more former veterans have come to live at the retirement home, leading Dobbins to put their names up as well.

"They definitely want to be included, they definitely want some recognition about their service to our country," she said.

How the honor wall came to be

To create the wall, Dobbins has interviewed veterans and residents with veteran loved ones about where they served, when they served, what branch they were in and what job they did. She then cuts out paper stars and attaches a photo of each veteran alongside information about their contribution.

Sue Sepich, activities director at Holly Brook, said Dobbins has filled the walls with patriotic decoration, sparked by her creative flair and dedication.

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"The teacher comes out of her," she said. "It's all red, white and blue and a lot of different things on all the stars."

For Dobbins, the importance of remembering those who served in the military is personal. A distant relative served in the Revolutionary War, and Dobbins' own husband was one of four boys, all of whom were drafted. He served seven years in the National Guard.

Dobbins remembers hearing stories of the horrors and sacrifices of the military through her husband's uncle, who was sent during his service to the Dachau Concentration Camps in Germany. She said the knowledge of what her family members and fellow Holly Brook residents went through inspired her to give back.

"They went in and they still had bodies in the gardens," she said. "He didn't really want to talk about it too much, but you know, you get some idea of what people lived through during the wars."

Honor wall part of Veterans Day celebration

The honor wall is the latest addition to Holly Brooks' annual Veteran's Day celebration, where residents gather together each year to sing songs, enjoy live piano music and present veteran residents with gifts. This year, Sepich said, a group of children from a local Sunday school made cards to give, and representatives from the American Legion will perform a flag folding ceremony.

"I think we here at the Villas, because our veterans are with us all the time, we understand the importance," Sepich said. "The majority of the people that live here understand it because they lived it."

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Sepich has her own connection to the armed forces: her father served in Bikini Atoll, where the United States detonated 23 nuclear weapons between 1946 and 1958. Sepich said her father was told he was not in the line of radiation, but later died of lung cancer obtained from the nuclear fallout.

"All of our veterans are very special to us, whether they are family or friends," Sepich said. "But we also know that each and every one of them gave in their own special way. They did sacrifice, no matter what they did."

Sepich said she hopes the honor wall will help residents feel appreciated and help young people in the community understand the value of the work veterans have done. "Anything that we can bring to the forefront and remember these people who have fought so bravely for us to be able to do everything we do in our lives."

The honor wall, located at 1285 Independence Court, is open to the public and will remain up year-round for visitors to view and contribute.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Washington, Illinois, retirement village honor wall for veterans: Paper stars, photos