More stories from the Road

Kathleen Belanger whose son Sgt. Gregory Belanger was killed in Iraq went up to the attic to go through her son's things. She was looking for a pair of size 91⁄2 wide, black combat boots, that had his name and social security number sewn on a tag inside.

She took his boots to Turners Falls last week to replace the symbolic ones from the exhibit that had represented his life. That makes the second pair of boots that has come from the actual soldier. see news story

More:One elderly man with a cane passed the exhibit and said that there should be a padded place to kneel down because this was sacred ground.

More: One of our staff traveling with the exhibit went to a bank to cash a check. They started questioning him why he was so far away from Chicago and asking other questions, reluctant to cash his check at first.

When he said that he was with the Eyes Wide Open Exhibit, they said how impressed they were with the exhibit and they cashed his check immediately.