Oxnard College to hold closing ceremony, April 6

WHO:             The Oxnard College Veterans Resource Center invites media and the community to the closing ceremony of The Eyes of Freedom:  Lima Company Memorial exhibit.

WHAT:          The traveling memorial, delivered to you by R+L Carriers, depicts the 23 fallen Marines of the Columbus, OH, based Lima Company 3/25, one of the most heavily engaged units of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These 23 life-size portraits have become a powerful traveling military tribute Honoring ALL Who Answer Our Nation’s Call; Then, Now, and Tomorrow. The eyes reflect the hundreds of thousands of men and women that have sacrificed defending our freedom. For more information, please visit www.EyesofFreedom.org

WHEN:          Thursday, April 6, 2017

                        Public Exhibit Hours – 8am to 12pm

                        Eyes of Freedom flag presentation – 12pm

WHERE:       Oxnard College

                        4000 South Rose Avenue

                        Oxnard, CA  93033

WHY:             The Eyes of Freedom: Lima Company Memorial was created by Ohio-based artist Anita Miller, as a result of her vision, in which she saw the finished memorial and felt she was being asked to create it.  With the help of the families of the fallen and the returned Marines of L3/25, the work was created and unveiled in the Ohio State House Rotunda in 2008, as the vision foretold.

Although the paintings in this memorial specifically depict the 23 fallen Marines from Lima 3/25, it has become much more; The Eyes of Freedom honors all who have answered the call to service. Behind each portrait we feel the honor and sacrifice of the thousands of men and women who have served our country in every branch of the armed forces.

Mike Strahle retired from Lima Company 3/25, and upon seeing The Eyes of Freedom unveiled at the Statehouse in 2008 knew he had witnessed something truly special.  Three years later he would contact Anita Miller requesting to host the memorial at a veteran’s support fundraiser he co-founded.  It was this reunion that sparked the passing of the baton from its creator to the hands of a brother in arms.  For Mike this mission is personal.  He too was badly injured in the explosion that took six of his squad members; two more fell to enemy fire just days prior.

Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free  SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE