Veterans Day observances throughout the suburbs bring stories, respect

It's about the stories, the U.S. Army veteran said.

"To me it's just about celebrating veterans and people that have served," said Timothy Stroh of Glen Ellyn, a retired staff sergeant with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's meaningful to me to share stories," he said.

Stroh was among about 150 people gathered in the Glen Ellyn Civic Center gymnasium Saturday for the Veterans Day Ceremony presented Saturday by Glen Ellyn American Legion, Post 3, and The Daughters of the American Revolution.

The crowd included his father, also Timothy, and friend Emery Ague, both veterans of the Vietnam War.

Starting near 11 a.m. in accordance to the armistice that ended World War I in 1918, Post 3 Cmdr. Mike Formento extolled the sacrifice of enlisted men and women "who have made our world better," he said.

"The most important thing that this day means, and the whole issue surrounding veterans, both Memorial Day and Veterans Day, is the fact that we were the people who stepped forward and helped protect the country," said Formento, 90, a Navy yeoman during the Korean War.

"And what did we do that for? For everyone who is an American citizen to know that they're not going to be in danger because we will be standing there to protect them," Formento said.

The Glen Ellyn ceremony was one of many held throughout the suburbs.

St. Charles held its annual Veterans Day observance Saturday at Fire Station 1, 112 N. Riverside Ave.

The ceremony included special recognition of World War II veteran Duane Stevenson, who turned 100 years old on Nov. 11.

Buffalo Grove, which held its Veterans Day ceremony Saturday in the auditorium of its Community Arts Center following a lunch donated by Culver's, welcomed Larry Kosiek of Mount Prospect as keynote speaker.

Kosiek's father, Army Sgt. Albert Kosiek, led a platoon of 23 men who liberated 40,000 prisoners from Nazi concentration camps in Austria in 1945.

"History is important," said Buffalo Grove Board of Commissioners President Scott Jacobson. "For younger generations, observing Veterans Day is not only an act of respect, it's also an opportunity to learn about the sacrifices of those who served."

The village of Vernon Hills showed respect to a father and son, both Marine corporals, the day before Veterans Day - on Nov. 10, the 248th anniversary of the "birth" of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1775.

Assistant Village Manager Jon Petrillo said John Iverson had submitted applications for the Military Honors Banner Program, a partnership with American Legion Post 1247, for himself and his 97-year-old father, Emil. The banners were to be displayed from Memorial Day to Veterans Day, 2024.

However, after a special meeting, Vernon Hills decided to install both banners in a presentation on Friday - on a light pole right in front of the Iverson residence.

An act such as this extends the stories to be told by veterans, on Nov. 11 and beyond.

Glen Ellyn's Emery Ague, a retired Army sergeant who served in Vietnam from 1967-69, was headed to Naperville after the Veterans Day Ceremony at the Glen Ellyn Civic Center.

There, he'd visit the Wall of Remembrance replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

"I go there, I look up the names of a lot of my friends who didn't make it back home," Ague said.

Perhaps to share some silent stories.

Daily Herald photojournalist Joe Lewnard contributed to this report.