VFW Post 2801 Villa Park

09/25/2020

One of the reasons we have a VFW is so we can honor veterans, all veterans from all wars. Many of you never heard of Tarawa. It was a little island in the Gilbert group that we needed to take from the Japanese during the WW2. Let's try to remember our servicemen that hit the beaches there and sacrificed everything for our way of life. Another island that people don't hear much about was Peleliu.

Reeser's grave is a double plot shared with his brother Donald, a Marine killed during the Korean War.

08/13/2020

75 years ago this week was the Japanese surrender on August 15th by Emperor Hirohito. It was 6 days after the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. It helped to avoid the most costly land invasion that would ever be. The surrender ceremony was held on the deck of the battleship Missouri and all the nations in that war attended. It brought the end to a long and painful war. It was the United States that provided much of the supplies and soldiers for the conflict.

As Tom Brokaw marks his 50th year with NBC News, he continues his chronicle of America's "Greatest Generation" with a remarkable look at the day World War Tw...

07/28/2020

A little history here. On July 30, 1945 after delivering the first atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, the Cruiser Indianapolis was sunk in the Pacific. It was recently found in 18,000 feet of water. The ship went down in 12 minutes and was one of the worst disasters of the war. Reportedly, there was 1196 sailors on that ship and about 800 managed to get off. About 316 of them survived five days in the water. On August 6th, the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and it shocked the world. There was only a few people outside of the military that knew of the bomb and it was one of the best secrets every kept. President Harry Truman was the one who decided to use it saving countless lives of our soldiers who didn't have to invade Japan. After the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the war ended withing a week. They made up maybe 250,000 purple hearts before the proposed invasion and they were still passing them out to us in Viet Nam much later. The American soldier made the difference in that war and the VFW are those who went to fight in those foreign lands.

'There were a lot of sharks,' says one of the survivors. 'So many.'

07/17/2020

The bar is open and we have gaming again. Come on in and try your luck.

07/11/2020

Today we honor Pamela Donovan of Brighton, Massachusetts, who lost her life on this day in 1968. She is one of eight women with names inscribed on The Wall.

"2nd Lieutenant Pamela Dorothy Donovan, U.S. Army, died of a rare Southeast Asian virus on July 8, 1968. Born in Ireland, she was assigned to the 85th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon."

Pamela's name is remembered on Panel 53W, Line 43 of The Wall➝http://bit.ly/2IGTw5U

07/08/2020

Hey gang, we are open and the machines are clicking. Come on in and grab something wet to drink.

07/06/2020

Damn right

Chapi

06/29/2020

The anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg is coming up. It was along with Antietam the worst two battles of the civil war. I have been there maybe 4 times and I have stood at the High Tide mark that Pickett's men reached in the middle of the battlefield. The battle went from July 1, 1863 to July 3, 1863 and Lee was forced to abandon his positions and retire to the south. It was the turning point of the war. https://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm

The anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg is coming up. It was along with Antietam the worst two battles of the civil war. I have been there maybe 4 times and I have stood at the High Tide mark that Pickett's men reached in the middle of the battlefield. The battle went from July 1, 1863 to July 3, 1863 and Lee was forced to abandon his positions and retire to the south. It was the turning point of the war. https://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm

06/25/2020

A sad note, we have lost our oldest known member of the post. Peter Kurasz just had his 98th birthday on June 18th. He passed on the 23rd. He had a son Rick, a door gunner in Viet Nam, who is also a member.

06/18/2020

I know all of you are wondering what's going on at the post. Well, we have a new commander and all new management. A few months ago we got a loan from the FED for wages and bills. One of our trustees has secured about 6K in donations from local businesses. We can operate for a while but we will need to get volunteers to help out. We are trying to get back the Bingo, hall rentals, bar, gaming, the gun range and food services. We are hoping the COVID crisis ends soon. All of you know that the Fish Fry was one of the best around and we will try to get it back like it was. In the meantime, if anyone wants to donate any sum, it would be appreciated. The phone number is 630-834-8191 and the address is 39 E. St. Charles Rd, Villa Park, Illinois, 60181. Call in the afternoon, there is usually someone there from 2 to 5. I am putting up a pic of Sid Bergh and Betsy. Sid is okay and doing well and Betsy is still a world class bartender. This is a recent pic.

06/16/2020

Today we lost a long time comrade Joseph Vincze He was a past commander and involved with the gun range for many years. Our condolences to the family.

Today our Post lost a Joseph Vincze young man, member and Marine, after years of health issues. This is a photo taken the year he was "Tapped" out into the order of the Arrow in Boy Scouts. He helped out many times and went on our "Big Adventure Trips". He got me involved in the VFW Post and shooting sports. He was involved in the Marine Corp. League, scouts, shooting sports, and youth programs abound. He helped train many a youth in shooting and helped some of the VPPD Explorers place 2nd in nation. He was a good man, friend loving husband and father. He had his quirks but who doesn't.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Sue Spieles Vincze and son Joey Vincze Please keep them in your prayers during this tough time.
Oohrah Marine Oohrah and as they say "Welcome to the Gun Club"....
Semper Fi.....