Submitted photo Kay and Ray Lenarcic will be displaying the Fallen Stars Memorial at SUNY Fredonia on Friday.

In 2016, the Fallen Stars Memorial Mural and Display was set up at the State University of New York at Fredonia to honor the men and women who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five years later, Ray Lenarcic, founder of the Fallen Stars Memorial Committee, is bringing the display back.

The exhibit, which includes the photos, names, hometowns, ranks and branches of service of the 328 servicemen and women from New York, will be available to see at the Williams Center at the university, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Lenarcic first thought of the idea to honor one of his best friends, who himself died as a result of war.

“One of my best friends died in a Viet Cong prison camp,” Lenarcic said. “He tried to escape, and they caught him, then starved and tortured him. He died on Christmas Eve in 1969. I’ve advocated since then for combat vets and this is part of my dedication to him.”

The display is much more than just pictures and names. It also includes a number of flags, and two large poster boards that depict the history of the project and where Lenarcic has taken it. He estimates that he’s brought this display more than 20,000 miles across all the state.

Additionally, Lenarcic said he has special banners made for the local American Legion Posts and VFWs, which depict the entirety of the display all on the banner. Lenarcic is bringing four such banners with him to present to the Fredonia and Dunkirk Legions, along with the Dunkirk VFW, will be the recipients.

There is another element of the display that, while not yet entirely completed, is still an impressive element. Lecarcic said they are working on a biography to further have these individuals who lost their lives remembered.

“The biography has yet to be completed,” Lenarcic said. “We’re a few names behind. But over 320 names have been remembered in some way in our community service project in our area.”

On top of honoring his friend, Lenarcic said that this display is part of the Herkimer County Hunger Coalition, which Lenarcic also founded. Adorned with a symbol of a flower, the Hunger Coalition’s motto is “forget me not,” which is a fitting tie into the Fallen Stars Mural.

For more information about the Hunger Coalition and Fallen Stars Memorial, visit https://hchungercoalition.org/