Web Extra!
Brookfield Zoo marked Veterans Day this afternoon, with good weather helping draw a good crowd, including veterans and families to the Roosevelt Fountain. The event’s keynote speaker was U.S. Congressman Daniel Lipinski. A memorial wreath was placed at the foot of the fountain by zoo employees, Chris Blackburn and Glenn Granat, both of whom are U.S. Army veterans.
Afterward, Mark Christianson, Chicago Chapter chairman from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division Association, let kids try on Army helmets and a parachute and answered questions.
Zoo employees, Chris Blackburn and Glenn Granat lay a memorial wreath at the Roosevelt Fountain. Blackburn served in the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, while Granat served in the 82nd Airborne Division. Photos by BOB UPHUES/Staff
Among those attending the Brookfield Zoo ceremony was Chicago resident Tony Vallos, 83. A veteran of World War II, Vallos served in the 82nd Airborne Division’s 325th Glider Infantry Regiment and participated in Operation Market Garden in Holland. His unit also took part in the liberation of the Wobbelin concentration camp in May 1945.
Marian and Ted Quednau, of Berkeley, salute the flag while the Brookfield Zoo choir sings the National Anthem.
Tyler Weszt, 8, of Northbrook, tries on a World War II-vintage steel combat helmet and a parachute pack after the ceremony.
