Members of the American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) were among those who attended the dedication of the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial that took place Friday at Wabash and Wacker. AVER’s Jim Darby was among those who read the names of those who died in Vietnam.
The program included remarks from Mayor Richard Daley; Kathy Byrne (daughter of former Mayor Jane Byrne) ; U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; and Will Schmutz, director of the city’s Committee on Veterans Affairs. Following the remarks, a wreath-laying ceremony took place, followed by TAPS, a 21-gun salute by the Illinois National Guard and a flyover by the Lima Lima Flight Team. Prior to the program, various individuals (including Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White) read the names of more than 2,900 servicemembers who lost their lives in Vietnam or who are listed as missing in action.
AVER held its 13th annual Veterans Day Dinner, with guest speaker Jeff Howe, at Ann Sather Nov. 11. The following day, the organization held a remembrance ceremony for murdered serviceman Allen Schindler in Steger, Ill. Dorothy Hadjys-Holman, Schindler’s mother, was expected to participate.