Veterans remembered in Elgin and Hampshire

The men and women who served the United States through history both in combat and times of peace were remembered Friday in the Fox Valley.

Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon channeled the words of George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill at the Veterans Day commemoration at Veterans Memorial Park in Elgin.

“All we can do is remember, but it seems like such a small, inadequate thing, such a pittance compared to the sacrifices” made by veterans, he said.

Members of VFW Post 1307 and American Legion Post 57 also took part in the ceremony, coordinated by Tricia Dieringer, Americanism chairman for the Post.

Among the 100 or so people in attendance were Mike Millikan, of Elgin, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the late 1970s, and his 34-year-old son Brian, who served with the U.S. Navy during the 2003 Iraq invasion.

Appreciation for veterans increased among ordinary Americans after Sept. 11, 2001, the senior Millikan said. “All of a sudden people were aware that there are problems that we need the military to protect us from,” he said.

Elgin High School freshman Sam Anderson said his grandfather, a Korean War veteran, and his cousin, a U.S. Marine, were on his mind while he played the flute with the school’s marching band at the Elgin event.

“It was a little emotional, but it felt really good to play and see all the veterans,” he said.

Hampshire Middle School administrators, with the help of a PBS documentary filmmaker and a local World War II veteran, used Veterans Day as a teaching moment.

Their goal was to give the kids a taste of what goes on in war, so the children can better understand veterans, as well as appreciate America and its freedoms.

“If we don’t remember, we’re going to forget,” said Larry Cappetto, a Waukegan native and award-winning producer of “Lest They Be Forgotten,” a World War II series on PBS. “The act of remembering is an act of honor.”

The entire school, plus fourth- and fifth-graders from Hampshire Grade School and guests, filled the gymnasium to welcome nearly 100 veterans, including students’ grandfathers, fathers, aunts and uncles.

Gordon Schnulle, a World War II veteran from Elgin, appears in Cappetto’s series. He was 16 when he enlisted in the Marines and 19 when he fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima that killed 6,000 American troops.

“It wasn’t a nine-to-five war, it was a war that went on 24/7,” Schnulle said. “It was something that really had to be done and I am just proud to be a part of it. Freedom is not free. It has to be fought for to keep.”