World War II veteran John Scaglione sat in the first row Monday at Tinley Park’s Memorial Day ceremony, presented by the village’s Veterans Commission, and waved his hand as members of the Army were recognized.
After the ceremony ended, he paused to reflect on the meaning of the holiday.
“This is something to remind us what we went through,” said 100-year-old Scaglione, who fought in Europe and helped liberate concentration camps. “Not that we forgot.”
“This is a reminder of what happened during the battles.”
More than 300 people attended the Tinley Park ceremony to honor fallen soldiers and pay their respects to the ultimate sacrifices they made throughout the country’s 250 year history.
The program featured music by the Tinley Park Community Band, a wreath presentation and battlefield cross ceremony in memory of fallen soldiers and recognition of veterans in the audience.
“There have been a lot of sacrifices through the years to keep in place the foundation of this country,” said Tinley Park Veterans Commission member and Air Force veteran Georges Sanon. “Every year we should be reminded of that.”
Mike Laib, an Orland Park resident and member of Tinley Park VFW Post 2791, said many servicemen went to war at age 17, 18 and 19, and didn’t return. Memorial Day is to remember their service, he said.
Tinley Park residents Peggy Petrovich and her husband, John, a Vietnam War Army veteran, said the ceremony offers a sense of pride and patriotism.
“You see it in everybody here,” Peggy Petrovich said. “People appreciate the ones who serve and remember the ones who gave their lives.”
Kathy Gustafson, who grew up in Tinley Park, said the ceremony was a time for her to remember her father’s service in the Army during World War II. Her father, Robert James Quinlan, who lived to 96, and was one of 18 veterans recognized on banners in the village.
Gustafson said it was special to see his banner as she arrived.
Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz said the village is proud of its veterans.
“As we get ready to celebrate our 250th birthday this July with fireworks, barbecues and patriotic music, I ask that everyone also take time to remember all the veterans who paid for our freedom with their life,” Glotz said. “It is because of them we are standing here today. It is because of them that our country will continue to prosper long into the future. Today and every day, thank a veteran for all they do for our nation.”
Douglas Rasmussen, chairman of the Veterans Commission, paid a special homage to the women who served in the Revolutionary War. The women who cooked warm meals, cleaned clothes, repaired uniforms and nursed the wounded were vital to the war effort, he said.
There were even those who documented battles, organized protests against British goods, spied against the British government and dressed up like a man to enlist in the Continental Army, he said.
“The women of the Revolution were skilled and courageous,” Rasmussen said.
Women still stand ready today with contributions that are no longer overlooked but recognized as essential, he said.
As the country celebrates its 250th birthday, it is important to remember all those who were instrumental in starting the American experiment, he said.
“It is fitting then that we pause today to honor those early patriots and their sacrifices,” Rasmussen said. The phrase, ‘Some gave all, and all gave some,’ resonates deeply when we think about them. They gave everything to secure the birth of our nation. Their service was not in vain. It preserved the freedoms we are privileged to live everyday.”
Orland Park
In Orland Park, the names of 13 veterans were added to the village’s granite memorial wall as citizens remembered those who gave their lives in service to the country at Ara Pacé, which means Place of Peace.
The new names are William J. Wesley, Army, 1951-1954; William M. Wesley, Navy, 1972-1978; Anthony A. Wesley, Army, 1979-1982; Joseph R. Ward Jr., Civil War, 1861-1865; Raymond Edward Arndt Jr., Air Force, 1969-1972; Clifford E. Brown, Navy, 1988-1992; Daniel Pechnyo, Army, 1942-1951; Francis Joseph Gentile, Army, 1942-1945; James Robert Kaczmark, Army, 1967-1973; Dennis Daniel Rangel, Army, 1961-1962; Lawrence James Krull, Army, 1967-1970; Joseph T. Cistaro, Army, 1955-1958; and Joseph E. Cistaro, Army, since 1987.
The Orland Park Children’s Choir performed the national anthem, a service song medley and “God Bless America” as part of the program, which also included in the posting of colors, a wreath laying, the playing of taps and a 21-gun salute.
“On Memorial Day, we pause to remember the sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives defending our nation,” Orland Park Mayor James Dodge said.
“We are blessed that 250 years ago brilliant minds built a young nation that designed a system of government that protects those founding ideals allowing each generation to shape a better future full of hope and abundance,” Dodge said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
