American hero, Captain James Lovell was all smiles and joy this past Friday, when Congressman Mark Kirk announced that the new Great Lakes Navy/VA Hospital will be named after Lovell. The Apollo astronaut spoke at the naming ceremony and later danced with recruits at an outdoor concert by Gary Sinise's Lt. Dan Band.
My dad is a vet. Marine. He visited this summer from out east and brought along some navy pals. They toured great lakes and loved it. After noticing that the recruits get to wear baseball caps instead of "dixie cups" (my dad's phrasing - he may hang out with sailors but he is still a marine), they were most impressed with the new VA/Navy hospital that will serve both veterans and active personnel. They all use the VA back home for health care. They depend on it, as do the Vets here who will be even better served because of the new Lovell Health Center.
1 comment:
What a fitting tribute to a real American hero, Captain James Lovell of our 10th District. I think it's great that Congressman Kirk had the foresight to honor Capt. Lovell while he and his family are HERE and not naming it in his memory. Congressman Kirk has great respect for all that Jim Lovell has done and continues to do for our nation. The photos are priceless.......thanks for posting them since I couldn't make it up to the ceremony and the concert by the Lt. Dan Band. I read the comments in the press from Gary Sinise, another local "hero". His award-winning performance in Forrest Gump made him turn his attention, respect and name to helping Disabled for Life Vets in a very substantive way. I think it's neat that Congressman Kirk invited "Lt. Dan" and his Band to participate in what was truly a memorable event. The more than 100,000 Veterans in our area who will have access to care at this state of the art facility can thank Congressman Kirk for keeping his promise on this very important issue. Thanks for sharing this great post today, UM, this really makes me smile!
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