Our Saviour's Lutheran Church to honor veterans at Nov. 12 breakfast

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Naperville invites all area veterans and their friends and family members to the 2022 Veterans Day Breakfast on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. with a hot breakfast at 8 a.m. at the church, 815 S. Washington St.

This year, Our Saviour's welcomes as guest speaker Pablo Araya, a Navy veteran and retired FBI agent who was born in Naperville to parents who emigrated from Chile.

Members of the Chorus of DuPage also will perform at the event.

The program will run until 9:30 a.m., at which point guests have the opportunity to attend a short prayer service in the Our Saviour's sanctuary.

Guest speaker Araya graduated from Naperville Central High School and North Central College, where his mother taught Spanish.

Inspired by reading the World War II novel "Battle Cry" by Leon Uris and by his brother's military service, Araya joined the Navy in 1983.

He received his officer's commission and Wings of Gold following boot camp in Pensacola, Florida, and deployed to Atsugi, Japan, where he joined Helicopter Squadron HS-12 aboard the USS Midway (CV-41).

Araya served 7.5 years of active duty in the Navy before retiring from active-duty service and moving back to Naperville with his wife, Renae, and young daughter. He joined the FBI in 1995 and was assigned to the bureau's violent crimes/fugitive task force in Chicago; Araya served as a street agent for nearly 21 years before retiring from that role. He now runs his own security and investigative services firm.

A former commander of the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 in Naperville, Araya remains active with the post and currently serves as a trustee. He has written about his experiences growing up in Naperville and serving in the Navy and the FBI.

For information, visit oursaviours.com or www.facebook.com/OurSavioursLutheran/.