Hero Street USA

Hero Street in Silvis, IL got its name from the 8 Mexican-American young men who lost their lives in WWII and the Korean War. Someone figured out that this was more lost soldiers per capita for any street in the country. Through the years this small Mexican-American community has sent over 100 sons and daughters to the military. Cely grew up here and two of her three brothers went into the Army. The dead-end street, not even a ¼ mile long wasn’t even paved until the early 1970’s. Around that time the city of Silvis built a park to commemorate the eight soldiers from Hero Street with a commemorative grotto, basketball court, cement slides down the hilly slope, playground and picnic benches. Yesterday they had a rededication of the park commemorating the recent, much needed renovation of the park’s facilities. I walked down the street from my Mother-in-law’s house to hear the speeches and see who showed up. There were the usual American Legion contingents, the parents of people in the military, the Vietnam Vets and neighbors from the street. They also had a contingent of the Patriot Guard Riders. Recently this group has been formed to provide a barrier at the funerals of people killed in Iraq between the mourning families and protesters from the Christian religious group from Kansas who have chosen that venue to spew their anti-gay venom. The rededication was particularly relevant to me since some of the political races in Oregon have taken on a mean spirited, anti-immigrant tone recently. The families on Hero Street came from Mexico looking for work on the Rock Island Lines as a way to make a better life for their children. You can still see a couple of houses that began as boxcars and were moved from the nearby train yards. The commitment that these families on Hero Street made to this country is a great example of how immigration works here. It was a great way to spend a fall Saturday morning in the Quad Cities. The neighborhood is still predominantly Mexican-American but has become much more heterogeneous with a smattering of Anglo and African-American families. You could see it in the faces of the people in the crowd listening to the speeches Saturday.