Elgin American Legion honors World War II veteran

The history books give us all of the heroic and horrific details of June 6, 1944, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy.

For Walter Guzy of St. Charles, June 14 of that year resonates just as much. That's the day he came ashore on those same beaches in France as a sergeant in Gen. George Patton's Third Army.

He eventually went on to see plenty of action, most of it in the Battle of the Bulge.

The fact that he remains with us at age 101 is a testament to what likely got him through his World War II experiences — a desire to keep at it, to keep plugging away.

None of that was lost on the Elgin American Legion Post 57, which honored Guzy on May 5, the day of his birthday.

“Last year, when he turned 100, we had a couple of big parties for him,” his daughter, Diane Brown, said. “This year it was pretty low key, just with the family.”

Because he's having some problems hearing these days, Brown took the time to chat with me for a few minutes when I called to get a little more background on the local World War II veteran. With each passing day, the numbers of these heroes are dwindling.

Walter served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946 as a machine-gunner, and spent his entire stint with Patton in Europe.

He was there at the Battle of the Bulge when the American forces met up with Russian troops, a moment in history that said the end of the Nazi regime was near.

“I am glad the Hines VA Clinic in Hoffman Estates reached out regarding the honor at the American Legion Post,” Brown said. “His doctor at the clinic, Bhanumathi Raju, was instrumental in setting it up.

“He just loves Dr. Raju and has been seeing her for the past 10 years,” Brown added.

Walter has been living in St. Charles with his daughter's family since his wife, Josephine, passed away in 2005, shortly before their beloved White Sox won the World Series. After all, Walter lived in Bridgeport, a hotbed for Sox fans in Chicago, before moving to St. Charles. He was able to attend a Series game with his son-in-law.

“He remains mobile with a walking cane or by holding onto my arm,” Brown said. “He's in pretty good shape, really.”

He tries to stay active monthly with the Silver Foxes group out of St. John Neumann church, and up until about a year ago he volunteered at the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Unlike a lot of veterans who either never talked about the war or didn't open up about it until years later, Walter doesn't avoid the topic.

“All of his war buddies are gone, but he never really kept in touch with them too much,” Brown said. “But he talks about the war a lot and he enjoys talking about the experiences there. It seems he remembers most things about it.”

Guys like Walter won't be around with us for long, so the task now falls on all of us to make sure we don't forget what he has remembered.

A name change:

After more than 120 years of being known as First Baptist Church of Geneva, the church now has a name change that its congregation finds appealing.

The church opted to change its name to Chapelstreet Church last month, giving it a new brand, but not changing its mission or sense of purpose.

“The people's reactions have been resoundingly positive,” said Stetson Butler, director of communications at the church. “The majority of people love the name.”

The name change coincides with some anticipated expansion onto a third campus in the fall at 1S455 Mill Creek Drive, to go along with some remodeling of the church on Keslinger Road and expansion of the South Street church to accommodate the Shepherd's Heart food pantry ministry.

“What we liked about Chapelstreet is that it sounds familiar,” Butler said. “They are things that people know.

“Your orientation and experience with a chapel has been around awhile, so it has a traditional and familiar feel to it.”

In part, the name change reflects the church's desire to not just be thought about as a building, Butler added. “We want it to be a church that lives in the people, because they are the church.”

Ultimately, Chapelstreet will serve as “a reminder to our congregation as far as what we are about,” he said.

A teacher appreciation:

Geneva's 10th annual retirement open house for retiring teachers and administrators will take place with a reception from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, followed by a brief recognition ceremony.

Current and former students and colleagues may want to stop in to see these folks off to the next chapter in their lives.

Retirees include Bill Alles, David Baier, Laura Fisher, Joanne Green, Louise Grissinger, Nancy Krasinski, Tom Livingston, Mary Ann Stearn and Diane Venneri. Those unable to attend are Margaret Clark and Rhonda Holycross.

For the moms:

Most of us don't need this special day to tell our moms how much we love them.

But Mother's Day has been with us since 1908 and became official when the U.S. Congress declared on May 8, 1914, that this special day would be set aside on the second Sunday in May.

With that, I extend my best wishes to all of the mothers out there.

This Mother's Day and the rest of the month has a special meaning for me, as my 92-year-old mother is making her way into the Tri-Cities for the first time in many years.

She vowed to make it back here from out west if our son ever got married. And he's making that dive over Memorial Day weekend.