Sue Jelinek
Sue Jelinek welcomes story ideas from ship to shore. Contact her at jelinst@sbcglobal.net.
A few armed forces Stats
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 21 years since the attack on September 11. Two of our sons were serving in the Navy...
Name in the newspaper
When my sons were younger, I started a binder for each of them that contained their yearly school pictures, their report cards and little...
Memories of my vegetable garden
I miss my vegetable garden in Naperville. Yet, I’m not trying to have a vegetable garden in Texas because the ground around here is...
Celebrate flag day June 14
The Second Continental Congress adopted the first United States national flag on June 14, 1777. The flag had 13 stars in a field of...
A Job well done
Above / Jenny Dawley is known to participate in drive-by parades to celebrate monumental birthdays of local Veterans, special events made popular since spring...
B.R.A.T. and the Month of the Military Child
According to nationaltoday.com, April was established as the Month of the Military Child by Caspar Weinberger when he was the Defense Secretary for the...
Celebrate women in the workforce
On March 15, 2017, the United States Senate passed Senate Resolution 76 to designate March 21 as “Rosie the Riveter Day.”
This resolution was supported...
Share a smile
According to the calendar, February is the shortest month of the year because it only has 28 or 29 days.
Yet I remember so many...
Golden moments, golden memories
For me a new year sometimes just seemed to be a continuation of the year before. The only thing that seemed different was that...
Another Silent Night
World War 1 began on June 28, 1914, when Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated. In the book Silent Night, the...
American Legion Post 43
After World War I ended on November 11, 1918, thousands of servicemen returned home wanting to do more to preserve and protect the values...
Dedicated fire professionals keep us safe
In October we celebrate Fire Prevention Week. The great Chicago Fire burned from Oct. 8 to Oct, 10, 1871. Three years later, in 1874,...
WWII pilot training ground
Navy Pier is a popular attraction on Chicago’s lakefront. Yet, it wasn’t always just a fun place to visit.
Created in 1916 for both recreational...
Creating a Lifetime Alliance
I am a member of the 786 Club. The goal of this club is to create a lifetime alliance between citizens and the crew...
Three primary purposes of the Declaration of Independence
In 1775, colonists in North America felt that they were overtaxed and needed to fight for their rights as subjects of the British Crown....
National Defense University
When I was much younger, I remember hearing that a strong military prevented future wars. I think that philosophy may have led to the...
Vietnam Veterans Day to Memorial Day
In 2012, President Barack Obama proclaimed that March 29 would be designated as Vietnam Veterans Day. In 2017 the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act...
Flights to salute veterans
As I was driving through my neighborhood, I saw a small sign that read “Honor Flight of Chicago Salutes Our Veterans.” I immediately knew...
Our armed forces by the numbers
For the past year I have heard statistics regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the CDC as I write this column in mid-February, there...
Our National Guard
A number of states, including Illinois, sent National Guard troops to Washington DC to ensure a safe transfer of power on Inauguration Day. As...
