Niles-Maine District Library Hosts 14th Annual Veterans Celebration

November 8, 2021

By weblinx

On Friday, November 5, 2021, the Niles-Maine District Library resumed its Annual Veterans Celebration in person and via Zoom after a one-year hiatus due to the Pandemic. Today’s celebration was the 14^th. Approximately 40 people attended in person which included 16 local veterans and their guests. The local veterans included participants in the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, members of the Niles Memorial VFW Post 3579, and the local American Legion.

“While we no longer collect their stories, we do hold the personal accounts of these American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war,” said Executive Director, Cyndi Rademacher, in her opening remarks.

Kevin Morrison from VFW Post 3579 made comments about the various veteran support organizations and held a moment of silence for veterans who passed since 2019.

The celebration included a performance by Sweet Reminder as the Andrews Sisters, who entertained the crowd with a tribute to the music that once uplifted and unified a nation. Guests were then given boxed lunches in partnership with Kappy’s American Grill and time to visit with the American Legion, VFW, Honor Flight Chicago, Maine Township’s Mainestreamers, and the Village of Niles Senior Center.

We invite the community to celebrate our local veterans by visiting the Veterans History Project Corner on the Third Floor of the Library. Read the transcripts of more than 60 interviews from local veterans. Partnering with the Library of Congress since 2005, the Veterans History Project aims to educate the community by recognizing the contributions of area veterans. These primary documents provide individual accounts of service memoirs during World War II, the Korean War and aftermath, and the Vietnam War.

You can also read or listen to these memories online here.