Evanston shows 'appreciation and respect' for veterans

Brian Beatty of Evanston VFW Post 7186 salutes after presenting a memorial wreath at the flagpole for Monday’s Veterans Day ceremony at Fountain Square. Credit: Ian W. Mitchell

The city of Evanston held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Fountain Square, where more than 100 people gathered to honor those who have served in the U.S. military.

Gregory Lisinski, former commander of Evanston American Legion Post 42, served as event coordinator for the ceremony.

“Veterans Day is always an important moment of remembrance for me,” Lizinski said, “and, I’m sure, for most veterans.”

Lisinski, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1974 to 1976, said the holiday is especially meaningful to him, “remembering not only those who are serving now, but also all the people I served with and remember. I think of them today in a more special way.”

In addition to Evanston American Legion Post 42, participating veterans groups include Tech Sgt. William B. Snell VFW Post 7186 and the Auxiliary of VFW Post 7186. Each of the groups commemorated the day by laying a wreath at the base of the Fountain Square flagpole, where an American flag flew above the black and white POWs/MIAs (prisoners of war/missing) flag.

The ceremony began with the presentation of colors, followed by the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner by W. Stephen Smith, professor of voice and opera at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. Chaplain Kenneth Doss, of VFW Post 7186, gave a benediction of thanks and reflection.

Lisinski welcomed attendees including veterans, community members, elected officials and members of the Evanston Police and Fire Departments. He asked the group to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mayor Daniel Biss was a guest speaker during the ceremony. He said that although it was his fourth time making remarks at the annual event, this year was “probably the hardest to do.”

Biss explained that he did not personally experience the Vietnam War era, but that he heard from his parents “how messed up this country was at that time.”

Opposition to the war, Biss said, “which was a legitimate discussion for the country, turned into hostility toward the men and women who served.”

Biss said he has never seen anything like it in his life. “We’ve had arguments and debates about what the right military policy is, but we know that if you don’t like the policy, you should discuss it with the commander in chief, because the men and women who volunteer are doing something incredibly important, and they owe our appreciation for a whole host of reasons.”

Some of those reasons include “their willingness to sacrifice and volunteer to do something dangerous and risky to protect the rest of us,” Biss said.

He continued by acknowledging that Americans are living in a period of historic division, “and possibly at a time when the military will be used as a tool to sow division. We cannot allow this to get in the way of our appreciation and reverence for those who have signed up to serve.”