What do the US Marines, the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department have in common? Jim Cleary. At 96, the former Chicago PD detective has left footprints in some of Chicago’s most memorable moments.
Shortly after graduating high school, and having no immediate intentions of going to college, Alan was classified by the selective service as 1-A and upon reaching the age of twenty, Alan received his official “induction letter” to report for military service.
Tom Messenger’s story is one of service and selective adventure. From his time as a Flight Engineer in Vietnam to serving a U.S. President and becoming an author, Tom’s journey is a testament to his resilience and spirit.
Surprisingly, James Phillips didn’t get the nickname “Hop” in the service, as many do. He’s had it since childhood. Growing up on a farm in Mazon, Illinois, where they had ponies, his favorite TV show was Hopalong Cassidy.
Edward Bosic, age 8, and family had just finished Sunday dinner at home. His mother sent him to the nearby ice cream store for dessert. As soon as he entered the store its owner asked, “Did you hear what happened? We got bombed?”
The DMZ -- demilitarized zone -- on both sides of the 38th Parallel ceasefire line was created at the end of the Korean War by pulling back the respective forces 1.2 miles along each side of the line. Located within the DMZ is the “Truce Village” of Panmunjom.
By the age of 18, James Cox had never flown in any type of aircraft. Despite that fact, he wanted to fly helicopters so he enlisted in the Army. He was given that opportunity twice in Vietnam.
The words came slowly, spoken with deep feeling. Major Patricia Knight (USAF retired) tried to reflect on her distinguished 21 years of service in the United States Air Force. Tears welled up in her eyes as she searched for words.
Bruce Engel used his mechanical and problem-solving skills to keep personnel and supplies moving in Vietnam. Getting to and from Southeast Asia wasn’t quite so simple.
When David was just 7 years old, his mother died from complications during child birth. There were eight children in his family and David's father was simply not equipped to take care of 8 children on his own.
For Jonathan “Jay” Tunney’s eighth birthday, he went to see his favorite performer, Roy Rogers, at Madison Square Garden, which in and of itself wasn’t that unusual for a kid in the early 1940s. What was unusual was that during the show, Roy stopped to point out Jay’s dad in the audience, and the crowd started cheering.
When Ronald “Ron” Parker was drafted into the Army he was assigned to the infantry. He said he loved being an infantryman, even when he served in Vietnam. So much so that when he became an officer with other options available, he asked to be assigned to the infantry.
One of Shelley Morrison's earliest pictures shows a chubby-cheeked infant in overalls sitting on a sofa clutching her father’s white Navy hat with both hands as it sits precariously on her little head. Her father was a Navy lifer. It was the life she wanted for herself.
Airman Bob Rein is onboard a WC-135B weather ship as it skims over the polar ice cap at 5,000 feet. Too fast and high to see polar bears. Collecting air samples from Chinese and Russian nuclear tests is today’s mission.
Larry Nazimek comes from a long line of veterans. His grandfather served in World War I. His father and uncle both served in World War II. His childhood goal was to fly. Even as a small boy in the sandbox, he had his eyes on the planes flying overhead.
Ron Miller was born and raised in East Chicago, IN. While in the third grade, tragedy struck the family when their house caught fire and burned to the ground. Ron’s mother was a single mom with three young children.
Doug Ermel was born December 31, 1948, and narrowly missed being Chicago’s first child of the New Year by a couple of hours. That timing quirk brought his family luck and set the tone years later during his experiences in Vietnam.
At just 18, Thomas “Tom” Dilley walked into the draft board in Harvey, Illinois, determined to accelerate his enlistment for the Vietnam War.
Ken "Burgy" Burmeister was 19-years-old when he moved up his draft number in August 1969 to choose service in the Army, following in his father's footsteps.
If variety is the spice of life, then Bob Baron can tell you, his life has been very spicy. Bob describes himself as a “war baby”, born in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, the second of four boys.
