By John Montesano The Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club has named Jorge Arciniega the June Veteran of the Month. He was born May 8, 1984 in East Los Angeles, Calif.. Except for living in Los Angeles for sixth and seventh grades, he lived with his sisters in Chicago and Chicago
Continuing her advocacy for brave women veterans who serve or previously served in our armed forces, State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, will be host to a Virtual Women’s Veteran Event at 10 a.m. Friday, June 12, through Zoom. “As a Veteran of the Marine Corp, I understand how important it
In spite of an absence of the canceled Memorial Day parade in Aurora and no community involvement, Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84 representatives participate in an annual Memorial Day ceremony Monday in front of the GAR Memorial Hall and Museum, 23 E. Downer Place in downtown Aurora.
Because it’s still close to Memorial Day, as close as I can get because I didn’t have anything in last Thursday’s edition and The Voice isn’t published Monday, I’d like to write about something military-related. The only military-related experience I have to draw on is my own two-year stretch, but
The city government of Aurora will continue its annual Memorial Day tradition of honoring veterans who paid the ultimate price protecting the liberties of the United States of America. Due to restrictions on large gatherings, the city government of Aurora will host a virtual remembrance ceremony this year. Viewable on
By John W. Whitehead No one is safe. No one is immune. No one gets spared the anguish, fear, and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state. That’s the message being broadcast 24/7 with every new piece of government propaganda, every new law that criminalizes otherwise
By John Montesano May, marked officially as Military Appreciation Month, is a special month for both those in and out of the military. Not only do we pause on Memorial Day to remember the sacrifice and service of those who gave all, but the month holds several other military anniversaries
When last we read about PFC Chas, he was just settling in at his new post, the Third Armored Medical Company, a.k.a. the “Third Herd,” in Nuremberg, Germany. And, by “settling in,” I mean making sense of it all. What does a MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) do in peace
The Aurora Navy League Council 247 will hold its monthly dinner meeting Tuesday, March 17. The meeting will be held at Grandma’s Table Restaurant, 1700 Douglas Road, Montgomery, just north of U.S. Route 30. The after-dinner speaker will be John Lindstedt who will speak on The History of the U.S.
By Curtis Spivey In light of the tragedy that struck close to home here in Aurora when Miguel Villalon lost his life in Afghanistan last month, we wanted to take a moment and express our feelings. It’s times like this that we feel are worthwhile moments to remind ourselves, as
With shoes shined, medals and ribbons perfectly aligned and with “covers” set properly on their heads, Mooseheart’s Naval Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (NJROTC) platoon prepared for its Annual Military Inspection Friday, Feb. 14. That inspection was carried out by U.S. Navy Commander Joe Hankins, the Area 3 Manager of
By John Montesano The Veteran of the Month for February is Cliff Oleson. Cliff Oleson, born June 12, 1948, was raised by his grandparents on a farm outside of LeRoy, 15 miles southeast of Bloomington. He drove his first tractor at age 10. After graduating from LeRoy High School in
Major Bill White served in World War II, survived the Battle of Iwo Jima island in 1945, and has lived a long life, is 104 years old. During the Battle of Iwo Jima he received a Purple Heart when he led his Marines toward the front lines under heavy fire
Olivia Guzman Villalon reflects Wednesday, Jan. 29, at a memorial ceremony at East Aurora High School for her son, Army Specialist Miguel Villalon, who died January 11 serving in Afghanistan.
The Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club, in conjunction with the Village of Oswego, will bring the Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor to Oswego Friday, May 22, through Friday, May 31. Oswego Honors Veterans will pay tribute to and remember the sacrifices of all those who served. It will mark
Retired U.S. Army Major General James H. Mukoyama, Jr., is the guest speaker at the Navy League Aurora Council 247 during a presentation Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Grandma’s Table Restaurant in Montgomery.
A memorial ceremony will be held next week in Aurora to honor the late United States Army Specialist Miguel Villalon. The ceremony, which will be presented by the city government of Aurora, in collaboration with East Aurora School District 131, will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29 at
Saturday, Jan. 11 the Aurora community mourned the heartbreaking death of Miguel Villalon, 21. He was one of two U.S. service members who passed away while serving in Afghanistan. Their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in Kandahar Province. A proud graduate of East Aurora High School, Miguel was
It’s déjà vu all over again, as baseball great, Yogi Berra, used to say. 2002: The George W. Bush administration requested Afghanistan to surrender Osama bin Laden so that he might stand trial for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. The Taliban-dominated government in Kabul responded
By John W. Whitehead It’s time to bring our troops home. Bring them home from Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Bring them home from Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Bring them home from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Oman. Bring them home from Niger, Chad, and Mali. Bring them home from
