Anyone who comes through F-wing walks past the Wall of Freedom every day. The Wall of Freedom is located outside of M-wing and across from the Main Office. This mural is dedicated to faculty and students who are veterans.
The Wall of Freedom was assembled in the fall of 2008. Specifically, there is a plaque for students who lost their lives due to their military service, and – if relevant – includes the war in which they fought. Mentor High School was first established at the current Memorial Middle School in 1922, so the plaque ranges from soldiers fighting in World War II up to the most recent conflict thus far, the Iraq war. 
David S. Glasier covered its dedication in 2008 for The News-Herald in “Mentor High dedicates Wall of Freedom.”
The Article mentions one of the main reasons the wall was built was to recognize and honor those who had served in the military. Best summarized by a quote of Mr. Couch’s, “We wanted to honor our Mentor students killed in military service because their sacrifices made the freedoms we all have possible.”
Among items included is a number of important documents on the wall, including the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and its Amendments, and numerous important documents relating to past conflicts. There are also addresses and speeches that were delivered by George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F Kennedy and others.
Another one of the important details of the mural is the American flags and the art. There are two physical USA flags, both folded into the ceremonial triangle shape. The flag on the right is a plaque dedicated to 9/11, and the lives lost on that day. The other flag was a flag flown over Camp Fallujah, Iraq. The biggest American flag was the flag painted behind the mural. It was made by the Art Department and it also includes a recreation of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima on the right.
Before the Wall of Freedom, there was the Freedom Shrine. The Freedom Shrine focused more on history but did not include our MHS veterans and needed refurbishing by 2008. Cardinal Nation decided to ask Unit 2 Principal Chad Russo a few questions about the Wall of Freedom, as he was a part of the five-member committee that assembled the Wall of Freedom.
“Around the time the Wall of Freedom was made,” Mr. Russo says, “the school was not doing much for students and faculty who were serving or had served in the service. The school felt the need to do it. The Wall of Freedom itself was a combination of ideas and murals taken from other schools.”
It’s important to note that there were five faculty members who came up with and decided to have the Wall of Freedom made: Steve Couch (current social studies teacher), Al Kurnat (social studies teacher, retired), Chad Russo, Joe Spiccia (then MHS principal), Marie Waltz (Social Studies Department Coordinator, retired).
“The Freedom Wall was mostly an effort from teachers,” Mr. Russo says. “The hardest part was the research, figuring out how many students were veterans, what war they fought in, and what branch they were. The Art Department was involved, too, in making the flag that is painted on the wall.”
Cardinal Nation further asked Mr. Russo on how President Obama and Senator McCain came to sign it.
“Both had a rally here at Mentor,” Mr. Russo says, “specifically around the time the Wall of Freedom was being made. Secret Service had to come and check everything, twice for both signings. ”
Both parties specifically had a rally in the gymnasium: McCain the Republican candidate in 2008, and President Obama when he was running for re-election in 2012. Like Mr. Russo said, both times, the school had to be completely searched and checked by the Secret Service before the rally can be held. After the candidate’s speech, administrators would ask the candidate if they could sign the wall.
If you do not know who John McCain was, he was the Republican candidate running against Obama in the 2008 presidential election. He was a veteran and was a prisoner of war from 1967 to 1973 in the Vietnam War. He was tortured, too, and continued serving after being released. He continued serving in the Navy until 1981. He was a senator for most of his political career, including after the election. He died in office as a Senator of Arizona, in 2018.
The Wall of Freedom, therefore is one of the most important murals in our school. It contains a significant amount of important documents that are important to our history, and most importantly it honors our veterans. It makes sure that people who once went to Mentor High School either as faculty or students that have served in our military, will be remembered. Whenever you pass it, make sure to reflect on our countries history and the important sacrifice veterans make for this country.
