Veterans Day celebrated in Chicago
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Across the city, parades and ceremonies honored veterans and commemorated their service.
At Soldier Field, a group of politicians and veterans gathered inside near the Doughboy Statue for Chicago's official wreath laying ceremony Tuesday morning.
Alderman James Balcer delivered the keynote address. Balcer is a former Marine PFC, a Vietnam veteran and survivor of Operation Dewey Canyon.
Balcer was a 135 lb., 18-year-old kid; a mortar man who was part of the wicked 56-day battle called Dewey Canyon. On Feb. 22, 1969, with most of his superiors dead or wounded, PFC Balcer was the first to go down a 900-foot embankment to carry his injured fellow Marines back to the hilltop for rescue. He did it twice.
"On that day, 11 Marines were killed," Balcer remembers. "I had to go down this hill. It was 18 hours total for me."
Balcer is usually applauding other veterans for their service, but on Tuesday a good bit of the applause was for his. He rejoices in the respect shown to veterans today, which was not the case when he returned home from Vietnam over 40 years ago.
"You can thank Vietnam veterans for being part of that," he says, "for bringing this to attention of people. That you shouldn't mistreat the veterans, the warriors who fought in the war. I will always remember that."
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn also spoke at the ceremony, thanking the state's veterans for "their service and sacrifice." Governor-elect Bruce Rauner and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel were also there.
Afterwards, Emanuel toured Veterans' New Beginnings, a housing development for veterans in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
VETERANS HONORED IN CHICAGO AREA COMMUNITIES
At Evanston's Westminster Place Retirement Community, veterans gathered to watch "Memorable Moments," a documentary in which several of the residents recount their experiences during World War II.
"Two weeks after I graduated from college, I was in uniform," WWII veteran Bill Bredlich said. "I was a flight engineer on a B-29 flying out of Saipan bombing Japan."
From Europe to the Pacific, their time at war was, in every way, a life-changing and defining time.
"When you're 18, you're not afraid of anything," said John Goad, WWII veteran. "We thought we were immortal, and we thought we did a good job. And there were an awful lot of guys that saw and did a lot more than I did, but I guess I saw all I wanted to see. And I was glad to be able to come back."
In Bronzeville, the Chicago Military Academy served as host of the annual Veterans Day ceremony after early rain drove the parade indoors.
"It really means a lot to me," said Battalion Commander Gregory Holmes. "I serve with a whole lot of other cadets, to come out here and give back our support, especially within the Bronzeville community because of the rich history it holds in Chicago."
Starting at 43rd and King and ending at 35th and King, hundreds of cadets from the Academy and other South Side ROTC programs marched in the 88th annual parade sponsored by Chicago Defenders Charities. Only a handful of spectators, most of the veterans, turned out for the parade because of the rain, but that did not matter to those marching.
"To see the little kids do what they're doing," said Gulf War veteran Kirk Douglas, "this is a great thing for me."
