Flossmoor Veterans' Memorial And Beyond Borders Cafe Host Tribute To Local Veterans

FLOSSMOOR, IL — One of Flossmoor’s newest hot spots is partnering with Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial, Inc., to showcase the Veterans’ Wall of Honor project with a book discussion in November.

Beyond Borders Café, located at 1036 Sterling, opened in August and has introduced live book discussions to the community. On November 19 at 6:45 p.m., Beyond Borders and FVM will salute Flossmoor veterans by sharing the stories of those who have inspired the Flossmoor Wall of Honor project. The discussion and essay reading will be hosted by Dr. Kristine Condon, FVM’s secretary-treasurer.

Condon’s book, Fragments of Flossmoor: A Series of Essays on the Interesting, Curious, and Unique in Our Village, is a 2025 Illinois State Historical Society Best of Illinois History award recipient for its preservation of local veterans’ history.

Retired Flossmoor Mayor Paul Braun, who serves as FVM’s president, wrote the foreword to Fragments of Flossmoor.

"FVM’s mission has always been twofold: To build a Veterans’ Wall of Honor saluting the nearly 1,000 residents whose names we have located, and to provide programming that shares those veterans’ stories," Braun wrote. "The project began with the stories of five Flossmoor men who left for military service during World War II and who did not return to the village. Kris’s research also documents the stories of Flossmoor servicemen from Vietnam through 9/11 who have sacrificed for our country."

Fragments of Flossmoor has also served as the basis for FVM’s award-winning "Flossmoor Veterans’ Time Machine" project, which was launched to 300 Parker Junior High School seventh- and eighth-grade students in 2024. Veterans’ stories were shared with the students as they learned more about local history, the Wall of Honor project, and the journey to return a veterans’ tribute to the village.

Copies of Fragments of Flossmoor will be available for purchase November 19 as FVM prepares for its 2025 Giving Tuesday initiative. The book is also available in paperback ($25) and in hardcover ($30) on FVM’s webstore (https://flossmoorvets.square.site). The donation is tax-deductible, with 100% of sales benefiting the Wall of Honor project.

For more information, visit @honoringflossmoorvets on Facebook/Instagram, @FlossmoorVWH on Twitter, https://flossmoorvets.square.site on the Web, or flossmoorvets@gmail.com via e-mail.