VIDEO: Veterans honored in Chicago-area communities

CHICAGO -- 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."