Veterans News
Illinois' Holocaust museum celebrates 1st year
April 19, 2010
Associated Press
SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) -- The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center has planned several free events commemorating its first year of existence.
The $45 million museum in the Chicago suburb of Skokie opened last April.
It houses survivor testimonies and artifacts, including photographs, a Nazi-era rail car and an original volume of the Nuremberg war crime trial transcripts.
The museum bills itself as the largest facility of its kind in the Midwest.
On Monday, several Holocaust survivors will give lectures.
Officials say the mission is to help Holocaust survivors heal, prevent future atrocities and tell history through narratives.
Illinois officials honor Seneca native and veteran
April 11, 2010
Associated Press
SENECA, Ill. (AP) -- Officials with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs are honoring a Seneca man for his years of service.
Russell Tendall is a U.S. Army veteran. He's been named the April 2010 Veteran of the Month.
Tendall has been a member of the American Legion Kasal Post 457 for more than six decades. He also helped design a veterans memorial wall in Seneca, which is about 70 miles southwest of Chicago.
Tendall is a retired purchasing and account supervisor.
A celebration event is planned at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Seneca for Monday, which is Tendall's 85th birthday.
State officials drop fee increases for Illinois veterans homes
April 11, 2010
Associated Press
QUINCY, Ill. (AP) — State officials have dropped plans to increase monthly fees for residents at four veterans homes in Illinois.
That's according to letters from Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs director Dan Grant, which were delivered Saturday.
The increase would have been about $400 a month.
The letter says that Gov. Pat Quinn has directed the fee increase be postponed until further notice.
Edwin Snyder moved last year to the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. He was happy to hear the news.
In March, state officials said monthly "maintenance fees" of $929 would jump to $1,329 starting in July.
Quincy has the largest veterans home with more than 450 residents. Other homes are in Anna, LaSalle and Manteno.
Information from: The Quincy Herald-Whig, http://www.whig.com
Illinois ex-POWs to be honored Friday
April 08, 2010
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Former prisoners of war will be honored Friday in a ceremony on the lawn of the Governor's Mansion.
The ceremony will coincide with National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. It will be hosted by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Illinois American Ex-Prisoners of War.
The affair will honor all Illinois ex-POWs and "recognize the courage and sacrifices by those held in captivity while defending our nation," Veterans Affairs officials said.
It will include a military salute, anthems, a "missing man" ceremony and a yellow ribbon ceremony at the White Oak tree in the yard of the mansion.
All veterans, service organizations and the public are invited.
Honor Flag from Ground Zero arrives in Homewood
April 05, 2010
HOMEWOOD, Ill. (AP) -- A flag that flew over Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 attacks has arrived in the Chicago suburb of Homewood.
The flag was delivered for the funeral services of 28-year-old Homewood firefighter Brian Carey.
Carey died in an extra-alarm house fire last week that also claimed the life of an 87-year-old resident. A firefighter paramedic was also injured.
The Honor Flag is used to recognize police, fire or military personnel who are killed in the line of duty.
The flag arrived at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and was carried through the terminal by an honor guard. Members of Homewood's police and fire departments were also on hand.
Carey's visitation and funeral are set for this week.
WWII sailor prefers remembering sunsets and beers with his buddies
April 05, 2010
By Dawn Neuses, dneuses@qconline.com
MOLINE-- He holds various memories of his Naval service in World War II, but he'd rather talk about the good ones -- survivors found, drinking with friends in port and the beauty of sunsets over the water.
Ed Ferns, 85, of Moline, will be on the Honor Flight that leaves the Quad-Cities, bound for Washington D.C. on April 24.He wants to see the WWIImemorial, as it is a reminder of his service from Jan. 1, 1942 to Nov. 20, 1945, a time in his life when he grew from a boy into a man while standing for the country.
Mr. Ferns was 17 and working for A.D. Huesing as a delivery truck driver when war was declared in December 1941.
The day after, while driving a work truck, he strayed from his route and parked in front of the RockIsland Post Office. He went inside and enlisted in the Navy.
After the first of the year, Mr. Ferns went to the Great Lakes for basic training, then was sent to California to serve, mainly on two ships, the destroyer USSConverse and aircraft carrier USSHollandia.
"The Navy taught me a lot," he said. "It made a man out of me. I was just a young snot-nosed kid when I went in, a young punk not knowing anything."
Mr. Ferns participated in major battles in the Pacific, including Munda Point and Bougainville. He remembers how he could see the torpedos coming toward their ship at night, and how once two hit the ship, one right below the midship where he was standing. Both were duds.
He remembers how when they would be in port, the sailors would each get two cans of beer. Those who didn't drink would sell their beers to the others.
Mr. Ferns recalls the nights when he'd sit on the ships fantail and watch burning sunsets, admiring the beauty that surrounded him during a time of war. "It was real pretty at night," he said.
Mr. Ferns is proud when he was serving on the USS Hollandia, it picked up the 317 survivors of the USS Indianapolis, all of whom had been in the water for five days awaiting rescue.
Then there was that one calm morning, after a night of battle, he saw something on the horizon and was sent with another sailor to see what it was. They found it was the fantail of an American destroyer floating on the water. They didn't know it had gone down, he said.
Inside the fantail, they found seven survivors.
Three months after he was discharged, Mr. Ferns was recognized for meritorious conduct, receiving the ribbon bar and bronze star of the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to Destroyer Squadron 23, which included USS Converse and five other ships.
Mr. Ferns said he is very thankful for the opportunity to go on an Honor Flight. He's been to Washington D.C. twice, in the 60s and 70s, but never recently and never with a group of veterans with whom he can share the experiences of war.
"The veterans who go, they know what it is like to be in battle. Almost every one of them knows what it is like," Mr. Ferns said.
"It'll be a joy to go. I don't think I'd ever get to go again if it wasn't for Honor Flight," he added.
Honor Flight of the Quad Cities flies veterans to Washington, D.C. on a one-day free trip to visit the memorials dedicated to their sacrifices.
Top priority is given to survivors of WWII and any veterans with a terminal illness who wish to visit their memorial.
This year, the plan is to do at least five fights, or perhaps as many as seven said Bob Morrison, hub director of Honor Flight Quad Cities. The trips scheduled for April 23 and 24 are already booked, as are those in May and June.
There are more than 800 veterans on the waiting list to go on an Honor Flight, and applications are accepted from veterans living in a 75-mile radius of the Quad-Cities, Mr. Morrison said. The veterans are scheduled to go on the trips on a first-come first-serve basis.
There are 450 guardians on the waiting list. They pay $550 to cover their costs.
Volunteers are always needed for the office, to send-off and welcome-back the veterans at the airport.
Applications for veterans, guardians and volunteers are available at www.honorflightqc.org. For more information, email Mr. Morrison at bmorrison@ridgecrestvillage.org or by calling (563)388-3271.
86-year-old woman named Ill. veteran of the month
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bloomington Pantagraph
An 86-year-old Chicago woman who joined the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve in 1943 has been honored as the March veteran of the month in Illinois.
Muriel Frieda Underwood was given the award Tuesday in Chicago during the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs "Salute to Women Veterans" as part of National Women's History Month.
Underwood is a native of Chillicothe, near Peoria. She is a children's book designer and member of the Women Marines Association and the Marine Corps League.
Underwood says she has done her best "to keep the contributions of women Marines visible to the public."
Helping Hand is honored
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tampa Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX
For retired Army Lt. Col. Bob Sawallesh, the personal rewards he gets from working with Operation Helping Hand are reason enough for him to devote countless hours to the organization.
And the organization, which has since 2004 assisted more than 600 seriously injured military personnel, veterans, reservists and their family members at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, was honored recently with Gov. Charlie Crist's Point of Light award.
One of the gratifying experiences that stands out to Sawallesh was a phone call he got late on a rainy night that had him traveling from his home in Valrico to buy gas coupons to take to the wife of a wounded soldier at the hospital. Delivering the coupons stands out as an instance that elicited as much joy for him as it did for her.
He also said the "tremendous" teamwork among the organization's volunteers, the VA hospital staff, JROTC and ROTC students and U.S. Central Command officials based at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base is all the gratification he needs.
But for Sawallesh, the group's immediate past vice chairman, the unexpected icing on the cake came when the group was honored March 18 with the award.
Carrollwood resident Bob Silah, the organization's founder and chairman, accepted a congratulatory letter and certificate presented by retired Navy Adm. Leroy Collins, the executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, during Operation Helping Hand's monthly dinner.
"The governor's Point of Light award is a great honor for our program. It makes all our efforts worthwhile," said Silah, who also heads up the Tampa chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, which also sponsors Operation Helping Hand.
Through its fundraising efforts, the generosity of private donors and businesses, the organization has contributed close to $300,000 to the wounded service members and their families. Its supporters have also provided more than $600,000 worth of in-kind services such as phone cards and prepaid cell phones as well as grocery, restaurant and rental car gift certificates.
"I see it as basically military helping military," said Tom South, a retired Army chief warrant officer, who, as a member of Operation Helping Hand's board of directors, is in charge of special projects. "It is the right thing to do. Even if the war ended tomorrow the wounded would still continue to have the pain and we'll continue to do what we do."South said he was also honored that Crist selected the group as a recipient of an award, issued under the umbrella of the governor's Volunteer Florida Foundation, that recognizes residents and organizations that demonstrate exemplary volunteer service to their communities.
"Operation Helping Hand is just a marvelous program," said Collins, who indicated it was his department that submitted an application for the award to the governor's office.
"For many of these people their recovery, if any, is very, very slow and so the folks in this organization do a real service for them and their families," he said.
Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 731-8026.
Alton National Cemetery Gets Face-Lift
Site Will Undergo $300,000 Make-Over
March 26, 2010
John Auble FOX2now.com
ALTON, IL (KTVI - FOX2now.com) - It's one of the nation's smallest national cemeteries, but it is finally getting a face-lift, and the public is invited to play a roll in the history-making event. The site in Alton, Il will soon be getting a $300,000 dollar make-over.
Volunteer Richard Baird, who pushed for the rehab, says few people know about this jewel in our national cemetery crown. It was part of Alton's city cemetery from 1870. Then, a half-acre plot known as "the lot" where military casualties were buried was deeded to the federal government in November of 1941.
"These aren't just stones. These represent spirits, indeed, of freemen who fought for our freedoms." said Richard Baird of Pushed Rehab
The 210 Union soldiers were left to rest in peace along with 320 other war veterans. Now, 69 years after the feds took over the cemetery is getting a face-lift. They tuck-pointed the concrete speakers platform and added a new electrical system to illuminate the flag and a water line. Landscaping is to begin soon.
Temporary jobs: Census Bureau still seeking area workers
March 25, 2010
(The News-Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX)
Looking for a part-time temporary job?
The U.S. Census Bureau is still looking to hire census takers, crew leaders and crew leader assistants in East Central Illinois.
The greatest need is in Vermilion County, said Mack Hodges, lead recruiter at the bureau's Urbana office. But the need is also acute in Piatt, Coles, Iroquois, Livingston and Kankakee counties, as well as some parts of Champaign County, including the Rantoul area.
Census takers, or "enumerators," are paid $12.50 an hour. They go door-to-door, checking on households that haven't mailed back census forms. They encourage residents to complete the forms and help if needed, Hodges said.
The forms ask how many people are living in each household on April 1. The bureau allows time for forms to be mailed back, and enumerators will be dispatched probably around May 1, he said.
How long they'll work depends on how quickly forms come in. In 2000, enumerators remained on the job until July, but Hodges hopes the work will end earlier this year.
Crew leaders, who supervise enumerators and make assignments, are paid $14 an hour. Crew leader assistants, like enumerators, are paid $12.50 an hour.
Much of the census takers' work is done evenings and weekends, when people are more likely to be home. Census takers must work a minimum of 20 hours a week but can work up to 40 hours a week.
So far, roughly 6,000 area residents have tested for census jobs, with about 4,000 qualified and ready to be hired.
But it's tricky to estimate specifically how many employees the Census Bureau needs, Hodges said.
"It all depends on the number (of households) who send (the form) back," he said.
Plus, some people hired for the work forsake the job when a better opportunity comes along, he added.
With the unemployment rate topping 10 percent throughout East Central Illinois, the bureau is a bit baffled as to why it has had a hard time finding the workers it needs.
"That's something we haven't been able to figure out," said Hodges, who began working for the bureau last August after having retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2006.
To be hired, you need to be 18 years old and a U.S. citizen or otherwise authorized to work in the United States. You also have to pass background checks and a 28-question test that lasts a half-hour, Hodges said.
The multiple-choice test covers basic math, map-reading, matching, organizational and clerical skills.
Those curious about it can take an online practice test at the bureau's Web site, http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/. Other information about the jobs is also available there.
To apply for jobs, call the bureau's local recruiting line, 217-239-4408, and schedule a time to take the test. The Illinois workNet centers in Champaign and Danville are among the most popular places to take the test, Hodges said.
Hodges said those coming for the test should allow two hours, so they can fill out an application beforehand.
Veterans applying for positions should bring discharge papers, and applicants with sight, hearing or mobility disabilities should notify the bureau so special accommodations for the test can be made.
Some census takers in rural areas need cars and a driver's license for their work, but some working in cities may be able to use public transportation to get around, Hodges said.
The bureau's office in the County Plaza building in Urbana covers 14 counties: Champaign, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt and Vermilion.
In terms of recruiting, Douglas, Edgar, Ford and Moultrie are among counties considered in "good shape," Hodges said.
Illinois to honor female veterans in Chicago
March 21, 2010
CHICAGO (AP)
The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs says it has plans to honor female veterans in the state with a program in Chicago that is to include a resource fair.
The department says it will mark National Women's History Month by hosting a 'Salute to Women Veterans' on March 30 in downtown Chicago. One female Marine Corps veteran, 86-year-old Muriel Frieda Underwood, is to be honored as Veteran of the Month.
Officials say the resource fair will include information about organizations and programs for female veterans. Department director Dan Grant is to present a proclamation from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn declaring Women Veterans Recognition Day in the state.
Quinn wants to increase vets' nursing-home fees 45 percent
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)
Gov. Pat Quinn is proposing a plan that would increase the cost of staying in Illinois' four nursing homes for veterans by as much as 45 percent.
Quinn has asked lawmakers to approve a $400 per month increase in the maintenance fee for veterans' home residents. The plan is designed to bring in about $3.5 million to help operate the state nursing homes in Anna, LaSalle, Manteno and Quincy.
A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs says the current $929 per resident monthly maintenance fee hasn't been increased since 1979. Spokeswoman Sabrina Miller says, if approved by lawmakers, the increase would go into effect July 1.
Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Dan Grant says the proposed $1,329 rate will cover less than 17 percent of the actual cost of caring for the estimated 1,000 veterans who live at the four homes.
Unemployment higher among young war veterans
WASHINGTON (AP)
The Labor Department says the unemployment rate for young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans was 21.1 percent last year.
That's well above the 16.6 percent jobless rate for non-veterans of the same ages, 18 to 24.
Difficulty finding work can make the adjustment to life back home even more challenging for war veterans. Some have struggled with addictions and homelessness.
For veterans of all ages from the recent wars, the unemployment rate was 10.2 percent.
The national unemployment rate last year was 9.3 percent, the highest since 1983.
Lovell Center signs erected on Tri-State
March 4, 2010
News-Sun Staff Report
The Tri-State Tollway has placed signs along the roadway to direct drivers to the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center.
Illinois tollway workers erected the large directional signs at Route 137 (Buckley Road) in both north and southbound lanes on Wednesday.
Lovell of Lake Forest, Apollo 13 astronaut and retired naval officer, was on hand with Patrick Sullivan, North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center director, to commemorate the placement of new signs.
"I'm honored and humbled to have the new health care center named after me," said Lovell. "It's amazing to see the signs going up, and I'm very excited just to be part of this first-of-its-kind initiative."
The Lovell Center, the first federal health-care center in the nation, integrating all medical care from the North Chicago VA Medical Center and the Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes, is on schedule to open Oct. 1.
Veteran gets diploma 73 years later
March 1, 2010
By CATHERINE ANN VELASCO cvelasco@ stmedianetwork.com
JOLIET -- Edward Stofko, 90, had always wanted one, but never got around to it.
There was money to earn, a war to fight and then a family to raise. But as a surprise, his family arranged it so he would receive his high school diploma from Joliet Township High School District -- 73 years later.
Stofko, of Joliet, is the 55th veteran to receive a high school diploma from the district. Stofko would have graduated with the Class of 1937.
"My buddy was drafted and I went with him. He talked me into joining," he said. "There was so much going on when I was growing up. I didn't have a chance."
Stofko left Joliet Township High School in his sophomore year to join the Civilian Conservation Corps in order to support his family during the Depression, sending home monthly stipends.
Then, he was inducted into the U.S. Army, serving with the 747th Field Artillery Battalion during WWII. He participated in several battles and campaigns, including Algeria, French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Naples, Rome, southern France, Rhineland and most of central Europe.
He received several decorations and citations, including the Bronze Service Arrowhead and the European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with one silver and three bronze battle stars.
When he returned home, he wanted to go back to school, but never did. He just went right to work.
"That was the biggest mistake in my life. I should have gotten my diploma, but I didn't," he said. "I had a job on the railroad and that was it."
Stofko and his wife, Marilyn, are parents of two children, grandparents of five and the great-grandparents of four.
"I've had a good life. I can't complain about that," Stofko said. "The Lord has been good to me and my family. Everything has been going great."
On Feb. 16, the day after Presidents Day, Stofko and family members attended a JTHS board meeting so school board President Chet June could give Stofko his diploma. Each board member shook Stofko's hand -- just as if he was at a high school ceremony. Marilyn; their grandson, Jeremy Stofko; and their nephew and his wife, Jim and Peg Sealy, attended the mini-ceremony.
"It is a privilege for District 204 to honor its veterans by awarding diplomas to those who left their classroom in service of their country. Our first diploma award ceremony was held on the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 2001 as part of the district's centennial celebration," said Lynne Lichtenauer, director of alumni relations & development.
"It was more important for him to take care of his family with World War II approaching. It's the greatest generation," said Jeremy Stofko.
"He was recognized for an opportunity he might not have had 70 years ago," Jim Sealy said.
The diploma meant a lot to Stofko who already had plans for it.
"I can put it on my dresser," he said. "It's really something."
After the ceremony, the family left for a graduation party.
Jim Sealy said they weren't too sure what to put on the cake that was decorated in blue and gold.
Should they put Class of 2010 or Class of 1937?
So they opted for "Congratulations."
4-Star Gen. Barry McCaffrey Issues Report Urging U.S.-Vietnam Reconciliation at National Press Club 'Newsmakers' News Conference
Feb. 26, 2010
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey (USA, Ret) and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund President Jan Scruggs reported on a week-long trip of a delegation of Vietnam veterans and their families to Vietnam, at a National Press Club "Newsmakers" News Conference this morning. General McCaffrey issued a written report on the group's mission to support reconciliation, demining activities, dedicate a school, and meet with top Vietnamese government and economic leaders. Vietnam veterans and their families who participated on the delegation trip also participated in the news conference.
General McCaffrey said in his statement:
-- Our 26-person delegation of Vietnam veterans and families completed a
week-long trip last month with to Vietnam.
-- I am honored to be joined by trip co-leader Jan Scruggs, President of
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Peter Holt, Owner of the San
Antonio Spurs, was also an inspiring co-leader of the delegation.
-- We are proud of the other Vietnam veterans and their families who
participated on the delegation trip - many are here today at the news
conference and are available to the media. In a way, today's event
is our "first reunion."
-- We all served in Vietnam.
-- We all believe it is time to heal the scars of war. It is time for
reconciliation.
-- During our group's successful mission, we supported demining
activities, dedicated a school in Quang Tri Province, met with top
Vietnamese government and economic leaders, and addressed academic
leaders and students.
-- The delegation had an emotional meeting with former Vietnam veterans
who had been opposing combatants. We can report a spirit of
reconciliation and mutual respect. Both sides understand that they
were caught up in the U.S. global confrontation at the time with
aggressive communism.
-- We found that the mine situation is a continuing disaster. We observed
and supported demining operations.
-- As part of VVMF's Project Renew, the delegation received and announced
a one million dollar U.S. government grant to conduct demining
activities.
-- More than 1000 Vietnamese a year are killed or injured by unexploded
military munitions (UXO). 350,000 metric tons remain--40% Vietnamese,
60% U.S.
-- While Vietnam has modernized dramatically and increased its economy
with entrepreneurial activity and external investment, serious
problems remain. Vietnam is still an authoritarian, totalitarian
state. Only recently are they entering the world's economic and
business model.
-- However given the potential and improvements, it is haunting to
imagine the world that might have existed if the U.S. had immediately
recognized the new government in 1945 when Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the
independence of Vietnam.
-- We hope the VVMF's mission of demining, education, and economic
cooperation will gain increased U.S. Congressional support.
Link to Gen. McCaffrey's report:
(Updated:) Gen. McCaffrey's Report or http://www.weinerpublic.com/20100226.pdf or
(Original:) http://www.mccaffreyassociates.com/pdfs/Vietnam_AAR_January_2010.pdf
Source: Robert Weiner Associates and BR McCaffrey Associates LLC
CONTACT: Bob Weiner of Robert Weiner Associates, +1-301-283-0821 or 1-202-306-1200, weinerpublic@comcast.net
Service to honor Gulf War fallen from Illinois
Feb. 26, 2010
QUAD-CITIES Dispatch-Argus
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A memorial service is planned Friday at the Capitol Rotunda in Springfield for the 14 Illinois service members who lost their lives during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Gov. Pat Quinn plans a proclamation declaring Sunday as Desert Storm Remembrance Day in Illinois.
The memorial service and proclamation mark the 19th anniversary of the cease-fire announcement in the Persian Gulf War.
The guest speaker at Friday's 11 a.m. service is Nancy Tieber-Wiles, a U.S. Army medical specialist and Operation Desert Storm veteran.
Scholarships available for Illinois veterans' children
Feb. 24, 2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO (AP) — The University of Illinois is offering full funding to the children of combat veterans. The application deadline is March 1 for the tuition waiver, which can be used for four years for undergraduate or graduate work at any UI campus. The university says up to six tuition waivers are available per county. To be eligible, applicants must be the biological or legally adopted child of a veteran and provide a copy of their parent's discharge paper. The applicants must also provide proof of ACT scores and have applied to the university by March 1. The head of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs says families are facing financial difficulties and it can be especially tough for military families to afford higher education.
Illinois agencies host job fair for veterans
Feb. 22, 2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO (AP) — Several state agencies say they're hosting job information fairs for veterans.
The Illinois Department of Transportation says there are well-paying jobs available in road maintenance, like in snow and ice removal.
Interested candidates will have to take apply, take a test and sit for an interview.
The first event is Monday at the Jesse Brown VA Center in Chicago.
Three others are scheduled this month in Chicago, Maywood and East St. Louis.
Vets Games play big
Feb. 22, 2010
News Tribune
News TribuneWhile they may no longer be in the physical condition of world-class athletes competing in the Olympics, the residents of Illinois Veterans Home at La Salle faced off in a series of events in the first ever “Vets Games” last week.
Over the course of Thursday morning, residents of the home competed against each other in volleyball, bowling, basketball, golf putting, Nerf-gun shooting and air hockey. There weren’t gold, silver and bronze medallions, but Jerry Bacidore, who works in the home’s activity department, supplied small cash prizes for the top three prizes, as well as gold presidential coins for the winning volleyball team.
“Life’s about the experiences and that’s what we’re giving them here,” Bacidore said.
The competition began with the playing of the “Olympic Anthem,” an important precursor to any athletic event.
“As with all good Olympian athletes we have to warm up,” activity therapist Sue Scully said, before leading a couple dozen residents, many in wheelchairs, through a series of basic stretches.
Along with stretching beforehand, the activities themselves benefited the veterans’ bodies.
“It has the gross motor and the fine motor (skills) and it has the competitive edge without being cutthroat,” Scully said, discussing the benefits of the event.
“The events are all about getting the muscles moving, the circulation flowing and they’re fun too,” Bacidore said.
Resident and Navy veteran Chester Proszowski, formerly of Chicago, took part in the first wave of the World War II invasion at Normandy and served around the world. He’s now in a wheelchair and has experienced three strokes. He strongly values the benefits of the therapy he has received.
“Without therapy you’re nothing,” he said.
During the Vets Games, Proszowski, who has been a resident for the past year, was cheerful, especially when getting a little help from “his girls,” a group of certified nursing assistant students from the Area Career Center, “Things are good overall,” Proszowski said. “I really like it.”
Navy veteran George Goskusky, originally of Lostant, said activities such as the Vets Games provide a nice break in the day-to-day life in the veterans home. “It gives you something to do. It passes the time,” Goskusky said.
Bacidore said the Vets Games and similar events that make the residents’ days exciting are important for the men and women in the home, who often survived horrific war time experiences and now live in a situation where the death of fellow aging residents is a common occurrence.
“It’s about human interaction, about quality of life,” Bacidore said.
He hopes to increase the number of activities in the future, but Scully pointed out that with limited budget and staff, it would be difficult to add many more or larger events than the home currently offers.
Bacidore and Marian Bickett, director of volunteer services, said anyone from the community is more than welcome to volunteer or sponsor an event at the home.
“We’re always open to new types of programs and entertainment,” Bickett said.
For more information on how to get involved at the veterans home, contact Bickett at (815) 223-0303, Ext. 259.
Vet ensures soldiers are remembered
Feb. 20, 2010
Southtown Star
BY STEPHANIE GEHRING
Rich McConnell remembers what happened to him when he returned home after two years in Korea with the U.S. Army in the 1970s.
"People had signs calling us baby killers and they spit on us when we came home," said McConnell, of Tinley Park, of that period while other U.S. troops were fighting in Vietnam. "We were told what to do and where to go."
McConnell, who spent two years at Camp Casey in Korea, was a missiles crewman in the 2nd of the 61st Air Defense Artillery, 2nd Division.
He's glad servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan do not face that kind of hostility.
"We didn't want anything like that to happen ever again, so we take care of our boys," he said.
The 56-year-old truck dispatcher also ensures that area solders in combat zones are remembered.
McConnell is chairman of Reber-Tesmond VFW Post 2604's Operation Shoebox. He works with Gail Blummer from the Orland Park Veterans Commission to get the names and addresses of local soldiers from the Orland area and sends goodie boxes to them.
If he has extra boxes he'll send them to a unit's chaplain and ask him to distribute it to another soldier, he said.
For the past six years, the post has been sending boxes of goodies to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans at Hines Hospital near Maywood and the Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno.
"Some of these guys (in the hospital) have been in there since Vietnam," McConnell said. "Some of them don't have family or friends to visit them."
The post began Operation Shoebox under the direction of McConnell's uncle, Joseph Kelbus. McConnell helped Kelbus, so when Kelbus died in 2008, McConnell was the natural choice to lead the mission.
McConnell said he sent out 110 boxes last year and estimates about 700 boxes have been sent since the post began the program in 2004.
McConnell, who joined the post about five years ago, is also its adjutant and membership chairman.
The shipments go out four times a year: February, May, August and November.
McConnell always is looking for items to send and is willing to pick them up.
He s aid financial assistance is also helpful. It costs $13 to mail one Priority Mail box through the U.S. Postal Service.
"We want little items. They're easier to send," he said.
Some items he collects include individual packages of instant coffee, hot chocolate, powdered drink mixes, novels, magazines, beef jerky, canned fruit, granola bars, small packages of cereal, instant oatmeal, Pop tarts, ravioli in pop-top cans, tuna kits, sugar packets and toiletries.
Additionally, the post's ladies auxiliary makes pillows, scarves and helmet liners for the soldiers.
With help from volunteers, McConnell assembles the boxes, then ships them out on the third Wednesday of the month.
He said he hears from the soldiers who receive the packages.
"They appreciate it," he said.
McConnell said he's glad to help.
"I get the satisfaction of helping our boys out," he said. "Personally, I know how we were treated. We only got a few things sent to us. If you're sitting out in the boonies on a mountainside, it's nice to get a package from time to time."