Rock Island Today

Veterans Day events took place across Western Illinois, with activities recognizing the service of local veterans in several communities.

The day began at HyVee, where veterans gathered for breakfast. The event included thanks to HyVee for its efforts in honoring veterans.

A visit to Wal-Mart followed, where veterans were recognized alongside Cindy Unthank, who is noted as the first female Galesburg American Legion Commander. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Quilts of Valor presented quilts to a number of veterans, while local Girl Scouts distributed handmade cards.

At Bethell Baptist Church, students from Galesburg Christian School performed a musical tribute. The program featured students reading letters from deployed soldiers and their families.

Knox County Nursing Home was another stop on the schedule. More than 20 resident veterans were honored with certificates and pins provided by Traditions Health. A representative from Compassus also presented certificates, and each veteran received a quilt from Quilts of Valor.

At the Kensington facility, nine veterans were recognized with certificates during Veterans Day observances. There was also an opportunity to reconnect with Bill Smith, an Army veteran and former colleague.

Five additional veteran certificates were presented at Hawthorne Center during conversations with residents there.

A visit with Joanne Carlson in Woodhull included discussions about her dogs and delivering certificates for veterans unable to attend earlier events.

Later in Monmouth, dinner was shared with Monmouth College President Pat Draves, Professor Robin Johnson, and others before heading to Monmouth College’s campus for a Patriotic Tribute to Veterans. During this event, which took place in the Veteran’s Memorial Great Room accompanied by music from the college band, interviews were conducted instead of a single keynote speech. Participants included Bob Goad (Navy WWII), Nita Cross (Gold Star Mother), Cheri Stanton (Air Force), Ryan Bronaugh (Navy), Alfonso Mares (ROTC Cadet), Joe Switzer (Army), and Andy Davis (Army).

Bob Goad discussed his service as a Navy cook during World War II: "He said the Navy must have found out he cooked burgers at a local diner in Galesburg, so they made him a cook. He served in the South Pacific where the two greatest threats were kamikaze and submarine attacks." He will turn 100 on November 20th; he received both a House certificate marking his birthday and an Illinois Flag that had flown over the Capitol complex.

Nita Cross described her experience as a Gold Star Mother supporting other families: "Nita shared her experiences as a Gold Star Mother and providing support to other local Gold Star families."

Ryan Bronaugh reflected on his training experiences abroad: "Ryan shared his experiences as he trained with other countries’ special forces. At last count, he has been in over 34 countries."

Alfonso Mares spoke about his education: "Alfonso shared he is so excited to be attending school at Monmouth College and looks forward to being commissioned in the Army. He is from Chicago."

Chief Switzer talked about military service after September 11th: "Chief Switzer discussed his military experiences and the impact 9/11 had on his life. He was serving in the 2nd BN, 123rd Field Artillery and knew it was only a matter of time before his unit would deploy…somewhere."

Andy Davis recalled serving active duty during that period: "Andy Davis was serving on active duty with 2/123 FA. He said on that day several guard members stopped by the unit to discuss their eventual deployment."

The panelists' openness was acknowledged along with gratitude toward President Draves for hosting and Robin Johnson for organizing the tribute: "Thank you to the awesome panelists for their openness to share their experiences AND to President Draves, for hosting and Robin for helping to put this Salute together."

Swanson has represented Illinois's 71st House District since being elected in 2023 as a Republican; he succeeded Donald L. Moffitt.

https://ballotpedia.org/Daniel_Swanson