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Immortal Regiment of Chicago held its third WWII Veterans Remembrance Walk

"We owe our World War II veterans - and all our veterans - a debt we can never fully repay," said American politician Doc Hastings.

These words are very important. We have to remember the horrors of World War II, and we ought to honor our veterans. As long as our memory stays alive, even those of the veterans who didn't return back home are alive in our hearts. That is the main idea of a global movement called Immortal Regiment. Many American cities have their own Immortal Regiment organizations, and Chicago has one too. It consists of volunteers who want to keep memories alive.

On May 6, Immortal Regiment of Chicago held its third World War II Veterans Remembrance Walk at Cutting Hall in Palatine.

Immortal Regiment is a movement where descendants of veterans and victims of World War II march together carrying portraits of their family members who participated in that horrible war. The organizers of the event print out portraits of their grandparents, great grandparents and other relatives, who participated in the war, make banners with their portraits in a special format, and march together honoring the veterans. This way, the march becomes particularly deep and touching for each individual participant because he is honoring not just veterans in general, but his own relatives, whom he loves and whom he remembers. Dead and alive march together, connecting past and future and representing their mutual strength and adamant spirit.

In 2016, Immortal Regiment marched through Chicagoland for the first time and gathered more than one hundred people. In 2017, more than four hundred people joined this peaceful action. This year, over five hundred people gathered to join this walk.

They came not only from Chicago and its suburbs, but also from Cincinnati, Madison and Milwaukee. The walk was held right outside of Cutting Hall. Some of the veterans who were able to walk, such as Isaak Cherny, were marching in the front rows of the column. The rest of the veterans were sitting on benches and watching the walk. People were singing World War II songs and carrying portraits of their veterans and flags.

After the walk was over, everyone went to Cutting Hall where a holiday concert devoted to Victory Day was held. Singers and dancers, poetry readers and special guests were performing on the stage. The veterans were seated in the front rows. At the end of the concert, the performers and the children gave the veterans flowers and said thank you for their heroic feats and adamant spirit.

The meaning of this event is impossible to overestimate. The memory of veterans is passed from one generation to another. Our children and our grandchildren will remember those who fought in World War II only if we tell them about our veterans, show them their pictures, tell them their stories, and take our children to march with us.

Immortal Regiment grew really big in the city of New York where it gathered for the fourth time already this year. Thousands of people came to join it in New York, and even one American proposed to his girlfriend during the Immortal Regiment March that was held on May 5.

Moreover, the New York State Senate passed a resolution commemorating the Fourth Annual New York Immortal Regiment March organized by the Russian Youth of America to observe heroism and honor the sacrifice of soldiers and citizens in World War II. Luis R. Sepulveda from the 32nd Senate District sponsored this resolution. You can find more information here: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/resolutions/2017/j4960

Immortal Regiment of Chicago is not that big yet, but the organizers hope it will grow bigger and gather more and more of those who want to honor their World War II veterans.

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