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St. Charles grandfather, grandsons honored at Blackhawks game

It was an emotional moment for the Strohmaier family of St. Charles when a grandfather and his three grandsons shared the spotlight as military honorees at a Chicago Blackhawks game.

As Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem before the start of the Jan. 18 game at the United Center, World War II veteran Charles Strohmaier, 87, stood proudly on the ice with his grandsons Steven, Kevin and Brian Strohmaier, who are serving in the Coast Guard, National Guard and Army.

At every home game, two military servicemen - one active duty soldier and one veteran - are selected to appear on the ice with Cornelison for the anthem and are honored throughout the game. In the case of the Strohmaiers, the four family members were honored together.

As four of them made their way to the concourse from the ice level, fans shook their hands and applauded. There were smiles everywhere, particularly from grandfather Charles, who seemed overwhelmed by the affection.

"It was great," Charles Strohmaier said, with tears in his eyes. "These boys make me so proud."

Charles D. Strohmaier, a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, served as an air traffic controller at Ladd Army Airfield in Fairbanks, Alaska. He lives with his son Charles and daughter-in-law Susan in St. Charles.

"He makes us proud," said his grandson, Kevin Strohmaier, 27, a first lieutenant in the Iowa Army National Guard, 1-113th Calvary. Kevin, a platoon leader in B-troop, lives in West Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated from St. Francis High School in Wheaton.

"We're honoring people like him (by enlisting). What they went through was just unbelievable. If I could be half the soldier that he was, I'd say I was doing a pretty good job."

U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Steven W. Strohmaier, 28, also a graduate of St. Francis, enjoyed the way the crowd cheered for his grandfather.

"That's what I wanted him to hear," Steve said with a big smile. Steve is stationed on the USCG Cutter Buckthorn, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, which maintains navigation aid in the northern Great Lakes.

Youngest brother Brian C. Strohmaier, 23, an ordinance officer and second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, will soon be stationed at Camp Humphrey in South Korea. His mother Susan Strohmaier explained how it happened that the her father-in-law and sons were honored at the game.

"My husband had submitted his dad's name several years ago, then had been in contact with the USO regarding the other boys," she said. "Since Brian will be leaving soon, they decided to get everything together ASAP.

"The Martin Luther King Jr. weekend worked well so everyone could get in without difficulty."

Military service isn't the only tradition in the Strohmaier family - the young men and their father are all avid Blackhawks fans as well.

"My boys have been fans most of their lives since my husband has been a fan," Susan said.

And there were plenty of friends and family members on hand to see the longtime fans honored at the game, she added.

"We let numerous family members know of the event as well as putting the info out on Facebook and email," Susan said. "We had about 40 or so friends and family attend the game as well as hook up after the game at the West End Bar.

"It's always so great to have the boys all together and in uniform. It was a beautiful, warm and most memorable weekend."

• The late Mike Spellman contributed to this story.

Members of the Strohmaier family of St. Charles were honored for their military service at a recent Chicago Blackhawks game. From left are Charles, a World War II veteran, with grandsons Steven, Kevin and Brian. COURTESY OF CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
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