The Germans took the retired Polish army officer and led him away from his house. He met his death at the edge of the village. […]
Workplace discoveries (#3): art print signed by veterans of Easy Company, the Band of Brothers
Last week our company staged the estate of a passionate aviation enthusiast. Plenty of memorabilia was found throughout the mansion-like home that even had a […]
Workplace discoveries (#2): a 1918 German Luger and more
Never before had I seen a German Luger in person, let alone the treasures inside the cigar box. All brought back as souvenirs from the […]
Workplace discoveries (#1): a missing airman’s tribute of honor, 1946
Inside the travel bag was a poignant reminder of one soldier’s sacrifice to his country. The folded up program, slightly yellowed from age, and with […]
Published in a German newspaper!
Earlier this month I was surprised by an email from my friend in Germany. He informed me that a piece of my writing was published […]
Books for Russia: Glenview sends aid to Soviet students, 1946
In February 1946, the residents of Glenview joined a nationwide drive to collect books for students in the Soviet Union. The ‘Books for Russia’ campaign […]
Nazi Germany’s final days, and a GI’s unique souvenir
The souvenir was an unusual choice. With the fighting in Germany now over, Sgt. Robert J. Roeber decided to bring home an enemy hospital sign. […]
Season’s greetings from the Navy’s LST-77
Roger L. Christie selected a postcard with an image of the ship he sailed on, the USS LST-77. He wrote a brief message to a […]
Throwback Thursday: war reenactment in Yorkville, IL., 2004
Pictured here is myself, aged nine-years-old, at a Second World War reenactment held on 11 September 2004. The event commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of the […]
An English war bride teaches music at the Latin School of Chicago
In 1941, Mary Younghusband was a newly certified school teacher. She did not imagine that her career would take her beyond the limits of her […]
Dance crazy: swinging to the music in wartime Chicago
During World War II, Chicago’s ballrooms, hotels, and other dance venues, buzzed with activity. In those uncertain times Americans celebrated life with dance. Providing a […]
A Polish refugee learns the ‘GI Salute’ in 1950
Stanley Kozak, born Stanisław, was my great-uncle. As a teenager he was abducted by the Nazis during the Second World War, and he ultimately settled in Chicago as a war refugee. He was then called upon to serve his adopted country in 1950.
Glenview’s Baxter Laboratories saves American war wounded
Baxter International Inc. is a healthcare company with a global presence. Its first major production facility was in Glenview, Illinois, and within the space of […]
The 28 submarines that sailed up the Chicago River
On the Chicago Riverwalk just west of Outer Drive Bridge, before the Columbus Drive bridge, exists a memorial dedicated to the United States Navy’s submariners. […]
Hackney’s on Harms, and the time they served patrons tear gas
Just south of Lake Avenue on Harms Road in Glenview is ‘Hackney’s on Harms’. Serving customers ever since the Prohibition Era, Hackney’s is a popular […]
Big noise in a little forest: Camp Skokie Valley
Blue Star Memorial Woods is located in the Village of Glenview, a community on Chicago’s affluent North Shore. Inside these woods was once a vibrant […]
Nazi espionage in pre-war Poland: an act of terror
Found in the photo albums of several German soldiers are snapshots of the damaged Tarnów train station in Poland. They show a section of the […]
Writing home: life in the Navy’s ‘black’ boot camp
The small manila envelope sat on top of a tray of old documents. Curious to know what was inside, I picked it up and slid […]
Tour of Arnhem Battlefield, part I: the village of Driel
This is part one of a three part series on my tour of Arnhem Battlefield in July 2019. Part one is concerned with the village […]
Graves of Polish Veterans in an ‘All-American City’
Entering Maryhill Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Niles, Illinois, visitors are immediately greeted by a large information panel. A map shows the location of the […]
Compensation for his forced labor
My mother tells me that her father and I would have gotten along very well. Józef Kozak was a talented story teller who could spin […]