Members of the Sijan family gathered at the unveiling of the new roadway sign commemorating fallen Vietnam fighter pilot and Milwaukee native Lance Peter Sijan.
“I have been the gatekeeper of my brothers legacy for decades,” said his sister Janine Sijan.
Janine, her daughter and her grandchild were all in attendance at the unveiling on Tuesday night. The War Memorial Center also hosted a documentary depicting his crucible in Vietnam where he spent 46 days evading enemy forces after his plane went down during a bombing run in 1967.
Sijan was captured Christmas morning by Viet Cong forces, and despite being 80 pounds and severely malnourished, Sijan was able to over power a guard and escape from his detainment but was recaptured and tortured for nine days.
Sijan died in captivity on January 22nd, 1968.
“It became clear to me that I wanted to share a bigger part of lances life, who he was as an individual growing up. How that was shaped and formed,” said Janine Sijan. “There is so much people have in common with him, I don’t want them to realize what seperates them. I want them to know what they have in common with him.”
You now enter the War Memorial Center at Gary Wetzel Way and Lance P. Sijan Way.