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Happy Anniversary 1 August 2023
Hello 50th Company:
Amazing how the years keep rolling by. By my count, today (August 1) marks 54 years since we threw our hats in the air and started down our journeys with the lifelong lessons that we taught each other in OCS. I often have wondered if at that time I had realized just how much our six months of training had changed me. In all honesty, probably not. Looking back on it, however, those six months changed me for the rest of my life -- for the Better! I have heard these same sentiments from many of you over the past 5 years.
So, Happy Anniversary to all of you and thank you for principles that you helped instill in me.
Lou Lallo
Veterans Day 2022
Hello Men of 50th Company:
Once again, I have the privilege of wishing you all a Happy Veterans Day. It is our special day to honor each other on the sacrifices that we made and risks that we took to stand up for what we thought to be right. To me, outside of what my family and fellow veterans think, I don't much care for all the phony political speeches or politicians riding on top of cars in parades. It is about the mutual respect, trust and camaraderie that I feel when I shake hands and look into the eyes of another veteran. The bond is instantaneous and everlasting. So, on your special day of the year, stand tall, always remember our fallen brothers and shake another veteran's hand.
Lou Lallo
50th Company classmate Brian Flora lives in Oak Park, Illinois, a large town of 50,000 inhabitants that is no longer home to anything resembling a veteran’s organization that could put on Veterans and Memorial Day ceremonies. For the past several years, Brian has stepped up on these occasions and organized traditional events to salute our veterans and thank them (and their families) for the sacrifices they have made in service to our country. On November 11, 2022, Oak Park’s Veterans Day ceremony was held in the ballroom of a local not-for-profit. It began on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, to commemorate the armistice which ended the First World War. Officers from the Oak Park Police Honor Guard posted the Colors. Brian was the emcee and introduced Illinois Senate President and the Oak Park Mayor, who gave welcoming remarks. Uniformed Chaplain Kerstin Hedlund (U.S. Army Reserves) delivered the invocation and benediction. Brian’s remarks examined the origins and meaning of Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, and generally recognized and honored all of our veterans, especially those who lost their lives in service to our country. The History Singers, a local musical duo, led the group patriotic songs, including the Medley of Service Songs. (The medley included the local premiere of the new Space Force Anthem.) As wreaths were laid, a bugler in a WWI uniform played Taps. Our veterans were remembered and recognized.
