CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The city of Chicago honored the area’s past and present veterans with a traditional commemoration at Soldier Field on Monday.
The 144th Army band entertained attendees ahead of all the speeches. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) praised his Illinois colleague Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) — herself a wounded warrior — who was unable to attend. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said one could see the “tapestry of our country” by looking around the crowd of veterans, and Mayor Brandon Johnson thanked each one of them for their service.
“Your unimaginable courage, dedication and sacrifice is why we get to live out our freedoms,” he said. “You give us the ability to express ourselves peacefully. We're able to gather here to connect with one another, particularly at a critical time in our nation's history, as well as the globe.”
Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), a proud Marine who chairs the city council Veteran’s Caucus, was among those in attendance, as well as Ald. William Conway (34th), who attended the ceremony in full uniform.
“On Veterans Day, I don't think that the families get enough credit for the sacrifice they've made,” he said. “My wife came with me on deployment to Germany during COVID. One of my daughters lived overseas in Germany for a year, and my middle daughter was actually born in Germany.”
Conway’s youngest daughter, who’s 2 years old, was in his arms. She's never been on foreign soil, but Conway is an active-duty reservist.
So, he said, you never know.
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