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...
America seems to have an abundance of angry individuals these days. I’m not one of them, except when my cable cuts out during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. But, I’ve noticed infusions of anger when it comes to politics or driving. It would be nice if it stayed in...
By John Montesano As we welcome in another new year and a new decade, many of us welcome a new set of resolutions. I am not much of a resolution-maker, but there is something that I have wished for every year: Peace on earth. Unfortunately, in my lifetime, there have...
Aurora resident Army Lt. Col. Rick Todas (retired), left, and president of the Aurora Navy League, presents an appreciation certificate to Marine Col. (retired) Lawrence J. Kaifesh.
Yorkville author Brent A. Peterson discusses his book, "Once Upon A Lifetime: The Epic True Story of Corporal William Wesley Bennett, USMC," at Aurora Noon Lions Club's meeting Monday.
Around Veterans Day, I try to write something that qualifies as inspirational, heroic, and military-related. To that end, I decided to write about me. Unfortunately, this eliminated the first two qualifications, but left the third. If any of you out there have read my book (Oh, no, another shameless plug...
By John Montesano Monday, in some way, we all celebrated Veterans Day. It was formerly known as Armistice Day, which was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially ceased November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November...
The Sons of the American Legion of Plano Post 395 will be host to its All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Menu items include scrambled eggs, egg casserole, potatoes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, waffles, and made-to-order omelets. The breakfast will be served...
Due to the impending inclement weather, the Aurora Veterans Day Parade scheduled for Monday, November 11 has been canceled, and the ceremony portion of the annual event has been moved indoors. “With the weather forecast calling for snow and wind chill temperatures in the low teens, we want to make...
