St. Charles Post Office Renamed for Veterans of the Vietnam War
The St. Charles East Side Post Office has officially been renamed as the Veterans of the Vietnam War Memorial Post Office. A ceremony was held July 17, 2024 to rededicate the building at 616 E. Main Street to those that served in the Vietnam War.
Among the speakers at the dedication was Wayne Kirkpatrick, Vietnam Veteran and Chairman, Rolling Thunder Chapter 2. 
"As Vietnam Veterans, we have a new battlefield today. We have a moral obligation to the citizens of America and to the 58,281 service men and women who gave their lives, and the 1,575 still unaccounted for, to fight against prejudice, public animosity, divisiveness, alcohol and drug abuse, racism, social discrimination, political discord and homelessness. We must recognize that these are our new enemies.," said Kirkpatrick. "As Vietnam Veterans, we need to continue to fight those issues and to win those battles, and renaming this Post Office should be our first step."
According to the VA's National Center of Veterans Analysis and Statistics Veterans Population 2020 report:
- Of the 552,775 Veterans in Illinois, 174,319 are “Vietnam Era Veterans."
- Of the 18,355 Veterans in Kane County, 7,704 are between the ages of 65 and 84, which puts them in the Vietnam War Era.
In 2006, the post office on the west side of St. Charles was officially renamed for fallen St. Charles Airman, Staff Sgt. Jacob Frazier. Staff Sgt. Frazier was assigned to the Peoria-based 169th Air Support Operations Squadron, 182nd Airlift Wing. On March 29, 2003, Staff Sgt. Frazier was killed in a firefight when his unit was ambushed near Geresk in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Frazier was the first Illinois Air Force National Guardsman killed in action. He was 24 years old.
Did you know the U.S. Postal Service employs nearly 73,000 military veterans, making it one of the largest employers of veterans in the country. The Post Office has also issued more than 140 stamps honoring the nation's military history.
If you're a Veteran and need help obtaining benefits for yourself or family members, please call the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission. Their services are free. Learn more at https://www.kanecountyil.gov/Pages/veterans.aspx or by calling 630-232-3550.
