The somber air of remembrance filled St. Xavier High School as it welcomed The Eyes of Freedom exhibit, honoring 23 servicemen of Lima Company, two of which were alumni of the high school, killed in a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2005. The tribute marked 20 years since the tragic loss that Ohio felt deeply, with many of the fallen belonging to the state.

As the memorial showcased the lives and sacrifices of the servicemen, it struck a particularly personal chord with Ken Kreuter, who saw his son, Sgt. David Kreuter was commemorated, among others. "One way or another, through the miracle of the brain, I see him every day, someplace or other doing something or other," Kreuter told WLWT. The exhibit's emotional weight, underscored by Governor Mike DeWine's presence and the stories of the soldiers' far-reaching impact, transcended beyond a traditional art display.

Ohio didn't only contribute the majority of the fallen soldiers from Lima Company but also shows clear dedication in preserving their memory. Students, like St. X senior Grayson Beckham, were moved by the personal narratives knit into their community's fabric. Beckham expressed to Local12, "It brings you there. And I think that's the saddest [and most] sobering; I think that would be the best way to put it." The exhibit included poignant features like combat boots accompanying each portrait, symbolizing the final steps these marines took.

The incident, which remains one of the significant single losses for a U.S. unit in the Iraq War, was commemorated in the presence of notable figures like Gov. DeWine and Rep. Brad Wenstrup, who himself was a veteran of the Iraq War. DeWine reflected on the time he remembers the tragedy striking home, "I will never forget when that occurred, and Ohio was hit very, very hard—just a horrible, horrible tragedy," DeWine said during the event covered by FOX19.