VFW Post 7712 Observes Memorial Day, May 28, 2012

The color guard marches as the annual ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the newly landscaped Niles Veterans Memorial Waterfall, located at Touhy and Milwaukee Avenues.



 Post Commander James Kozak asks for a moment of silence as trumpeter Jean Laurenz plays "Taps." The Niles Police Shift Commander Joe Penze, Fire Chief Steve Borkowski, Commander Kozak, Mayor Robert Callero, Chris Hanusiak, Niles Trustee and President of the Friends of the Niles Public Library, the Post chaplain, and Trustees Rosemary Palicki and Louella Preston stand left to right.

Niles veterans Ray Bendig and Gene Kuffle discuss the moving and well-attended Memorial Day observance sitting next to Abraham Lincoln on his local landmark bench. Gene has his arm around our 16th President.

Cold War POWS: Richard Rogala and Werner Juretzko

These two veterans co-presented a program based on their separate experiences at the Niles Library on Sunday, May 20 at 2 p.m. A son of Niles, Richard Rogala was captured by the North Koreans in early 1968 while serving on the ill-fated USS Pueblo.

Mr. Juretzko was captured by the East German STASI in 1955 while helping the US Army as a counter-intelligence agent.




The Pioneer Press covered the event and epublished this article about the successful program which also later appeared in the Niles Herald-Spectator of Thursday, May 24. The article was written by Tracy Gruen and the photographs were taken  by Vincent D. Johnson.

Annual May Exhibit Honoring Veterans

Initiated by Niles resident and veteran Al Aronson in 2009, this annual display honors America's veterans and highlights the library's participation in the national Veterans History Project.

This year the library spotlights the contributions of World War II B-17 tail gunner, Chester Rogala, and his son Richard, a POW of the North Koreans upon their capture of the US Pueblo in  1968.

Niles resident and collector, Chris Reuscher, assisted library staff in the planning and execution of the exhibit, loaning the historically accurate clothing and gear which would have been worn by Chester Rogala while serving in the US Army Air Corps, flying out of Foggia, Italy on his 51 combat missions. Niles veteran and resident, Ralph Ponfil, also made items available for the exhibit.

Richard Rogala displays his Navy uniform and the North Korean garb he wore upon his release across the Bridge of No Return on December 23, 1968 along with 81 other crew members.

Both transcripts can be read via the library's website along with those of 48 other veterans.

The Historic Government Publications from World War II

The Historic Government Publications from World War II contains 343 Informational pamphlets, government reports, instructions, regulations, declarations, speeches, and propaganda materials distributed by the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) during the Second World War. The documents are held by Government Information Resources.

The documents, which reflect the thinking of the time, range widely in topics. You can view information on many categories, such as women's issues, children's issues, pocket guides to other countries, and more. You can view series, like the Victory Bulletin and 10 issues of the State Summary of War Casualties.

Government Information Resources digital collections are part of CUL Digital Collections, which contain thousands of digitized photographs, manuscripts, imprints, and works of art held by SMU's Central University Libraries special collections.

Cold War POWs Library Program

Patrons can register via  the library's website at nileslibrary.org, using the patron calendar. The transcript of Richard Rogala's interview for the Veterans History Project can be read via the library's web site. Werner Juretzko is a member of the Cold War Museum, a recognized contributor for European Affairs and an active member in the Midwest Chapter.

May Book Sentry Listing

Spot the new arrivals about military history, especially those books providing context for the library's ongoing Veterans History Project

To locate one of the following or to place a "Hold" please go to
Check Our Catalog.





The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy Seal Sniper Corps and How I Trained America's Deadliest Marksmen  by Webb, Brandon , 2012-04 - St. Martin's Press, 9780312604226,


Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History and Family Wisdom by Benjamin Patton
2012-03 - Berkley Publishing Group 0425243516


We Got Him!: A Memoir of the Hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein by Steve Russell
2011-12 - Threshold Editions 1451662483


Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog by Mike Dowling 2011-12 - Atria Books 451635966


Breaking the Code: A Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed
Everything by Karen Fisher-Alaniz 2011-11 - Sourcebooks 1402261128 


The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan
by Michael Hastings 2012-01 - Blue Rider Press  0399159886