“We want our veterans to know that we are there for them,” American Legion Commander Louisett “Lou” Ness said. For the first time, the VFW and the American Legion teamed up to host a joint Veterans Day ceremony at the McHenry County Courthouse Administrative Building in Woodstock. The focus of the event was serving veterans […]
VFW Post 5040 bar and cantina will close its doors next week for the foreseeable future, but the post itself remains “strong and vibrant,” according to Post Commander Fred Strauss. The Woodstock Veterans of Foreign Wars Post was chartered March 4, 1946, with 224 members. It was built on service to veterans, service to youth […]
The week leading up to Nov. 11 was a prime opportunity for Woodstock schools to celebrate Veterans Day. As has long been the practice, numerous schools held assemblies and breakfasts, and veterans were invited to speak in classrooms while local businesses and the VFW Post 5040 honored veterans with ceremonies, food, and the opportunity to […]
“It became closure for me,” Vietnam veteran Peter C. Bruhn said of a recent trip to the Southeast Asian country where he flew missions some 56 years ago. “I flew F-4 Phantoms out of Thailand,” explained the Bull Valley resident and current president of the Board of Directors of the Woodstock VFW Post 5040. “I […]
Woodstock’s usual events for Veterans Day cautiously re-emerged this year, one year after COVID had canceled most of 2020’s events. District 200 embraced veterans last Wednesday by inviting them to welcome students as they entered schools, and the students, in return, offered their appreciation along with coffee and doughnuts. Northwood Middle School, while it could […]
Woodstock VFW Post 5040 has been a fixture in town for 75 years. Committed to serving veterans, youths and families, community, and the spread of patriotism, the VFW has been a place of refuge and strength for veterans across all modern eras. It has embraced with loving arms the distraught, returning home with nowhere to […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
