Richard Phannenstill remembers a promise he made, both to himself and his best friend in 1969.
The promise to Carter Freund, made as Phannenstill was leaving the cemetery following Freund’s funeral, was that one day he’d do something to honor him.
“It just took me 40 years to do it,” Phannenstill said. In starts and stops over the years, Phannenstill researched and talked to people who had created war memorials.
“I learned a lot of dos and don’ts,” he said.
Then, at a McHenry VFW Post 4600 event, he started talking to Sue Low-Meyer, McHenry’s mayor from 2003 to 2017, about the project. “Sue asked, ‘Rich, when are you going to get this memorial built?’” he said.
That’s when others, including members of his graduating class, got involved.
On Veterans Day 2014, the memorial was dedicated on the southeast corner of McHenry’s Veterans Memorial Park to Freund, Glenn Davis, James Ambrose and John Granath. Phannenstill spearheaded the effort with help from the McHenry High School Class of 1964: Freund, Davis and Ambrose were their classmates.
The black stone is etched on one side with the four men’s names, their service branch, and the date and location of their death. A map of Vietnam also marks where they died.
The opposite side is etched with the war’s dates, the number of soldiers who were killed in action, wounded, missing in action or prisoners of war, as well as iconic images of the war.
When it came time to place the stone, local contractors Wm. Tonyan & Sons Inc. donated their labor and materials.
“They bought the crane to put it in place,” said Ruthie Granger, Phannenstill’s sister.
Because of that donation, there were funds left over. On Aug. 17 this year, at the Class of 1964′s 60-year reunion, the remaining $8,200 was donated to Veterans Path to Hope. The Crystal Lake-based charity offers a drop-in resource center, food pantry, housing, job assistance and other services to veterans.
Phannenstill said he should have done something with the excess funds “a long time ago” but was happy that it went to Veterans Path to Hope.
“It worked out good,” he said.