Naperville group has some stories to share about veterans

A Naperville group wants to educate area school children about local heroes.

The Freedom Heroes of Naperville committee is interviewing veterans from Naperville in order to fill its Web site with stories from area men and women who served in the military.

Veterans from any war interested in participating can share their experiences from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Judd Kendall VFW Post, 908 W. Jackson Ave.

National Guard members or those who served in other ways, such as nurses, are welcome to participate as well.

"All veterans are important and everyone out there today who does something for a noble cause should be recognized," said Mitch Atkinson, a member of the committee that formed in 2005.

The Web site, www.freedomheroesofnaperville.org, currently has information about roughly a dozen Naperville veterans, including Mayor George Pradel who served in the Marines.

Atkinson plans to speak to the superintendents of Naperville Unit District 203 and Indian Prairie Unit District 204 about ways the group's Web site can be used to teach students about history and patriotism, giving them new role models to look up to.

"It's important for veterans to tell their story to help young people trying to have courage in the military and to remember how they fought for freedom but also to recognize the importance of veterans serving our country," Atkinson said.

The site also will link to the hundreds of interviews performed by Charles Geitner, a retired Naperville Central social studies teacher, which were recorded and documented in the Library of Congress. Students from both Naperville Central and Naperville North have helped with those interviews for the past several years.

Veterans who aren't able to make it to tonight's interviews, can fill out an online form on the group's Web site. Future dates for interviews also will be published on the site.