Plans Announced for Native American Veterans Memorial on the National Mall

A Massachusetts follower of this blog sent this item and a link to the White Wolf Pack web site article . There are 140,000 living Native American veterans of whom 16,000 are female and at present time there are 31,000 Native Americans in the American armed forces. The National Museum of the American Indian announced that the competition opens on November 11 and the finalist submissions will be chosen by January 25.

James R. Hardt, Laid to Rest

The ashes of  Vietnam-era Navy veteran and exemplary public librarian , Jim Hardt, were interred at Lake View cemetery in Libertyville, Illinois on Wednesday, June 27.

Readings chosen by family and friends included Robert Burns's Epitaph on a Friend 

AN HONEST man here lies at rest,

As e’er God with his image blest;

The friend of man, the friend of truth,

The friend of age, and guide of youth:

Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d,

Few heads with knowledge so inform’d:

If there ’s another world, he lives in bliss;

If there is none, he made the best of this.

And

i carry your heart’ by E.E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

Jack Weinberg,World War II Combat Veteran and Bronze Star Medalist, Rest In Peace

cover page of Jack's transcript, which can read on the library's website

Local Veterans History Project participant, Jack Weinberg, entered the service at age 18 in August, 1943. He passed away earlier this month.

Multi-Faith Veterans Gathering and Resource Sharing Scheduled Tuesday, June 26, 2018

 

This "breaking bread, restoring community" event over coffee for veterans will be held on Tuesday, June 26, from 1 to 3pm at 7649 N. Paulina St in Chicago, telephone - 773-262-2297.

Captain Groberg's story of "heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty"

Emigrating from France to the United States as a child, Florent Groberg is  the first immigrant in forty years to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor after he saved many lives by tackling a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. He is also the recipient of the Purple Heart and 2 Bronze Stars.

His story in this recently published book can be found on the library's 3rd floor at 958.1047 G87.

A full description of his citation and those of four other recent Medal of Honor recipients can be read at the military.com website.

Recognizing the American Veterans of the "Forgotten War"

The blog was asked to publicize this Illinois  effort to lobby Congress for passage of legislation, the

H.R.5222 - Korean War Combat Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act

which would award  a  Congressional Gold Medal to combat veterans, 65 years after the signing of the 1953  armistice.

Oak Lawn Public Library Announces "Home and Abroad" WW I Exhibit Coming in October

a traveling exhibit from the National Archives about Americans in World War I