While Army Major Lorenzo Fiorentino was stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, from March 2004 to March 2005, he noticed that the Afghan people could make just about anything. Within weeks, he organized a bazaar at his military base where local vendors could sell their wares, stimulating the economy and giving the soldiers an opportunity to buy gifts to mail home to […]
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The American Legion First Division, Department of Illinois, held its Commander’s Breakfast at the Italian American Veterans Museum on Feb. 8. On hand to open the museum and welcome the august assemblage was IAVM board member and American Legion Post 335 Commander Lorenzo Fiorentino. First Division Commander Gigi Callaway hosted the meeting, which included Illinois Senior Vice Commander Wayne L. […]
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The January meeting of the board of directors was a momentous occasion, with museum President Paul Basile and his fellow civilian officers making room for a whole new cadre of leaders with extensive military background. Basile passed the gavel to retired Army Col. Renato Bacci. Joining him at the top are retired Navy Com. Joseph Troiani (first vice president), retired […]
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Rose Mary and Chuck Kurgis journeyed to the museum from south suburban Crete to donate a remarkable trove of memorabilia from Rose Mary’s father, departed World War II hero Louis Venditti. Venditti was a member of the legendary “Band of Brothers,” parachuting behind enemy lines in the predawn hours of the D-Day invasion. He earned the Bronze Star, the Purple […]
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The Italian American Veterans Museum was honored to accept a donation of memorabilia belonging to departed World War II hero Raymond Ciccone from his nephew, Vietnam veteran Frank Falzone. A staff sergeant in the Army Air Corps, Ciccone was an aerial gunner on a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. Stationed in Italy and flying with the 455th Bomb Group (Heavy), he flew 35 […]
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Hundreds of children turned out with their parents and grandparents in tow for Casa Italia’s Christmas Village, a beloved annual event that features a Mass with Living Nativity, visits with Santa and La Befana, horse-drawn cart rides and traditional Italian treats. More than two dozen attendees stopped by the veterans museum while they were on the grounds. Among them were […]
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More than 40 veterans and 30 representatives from nearly 20 government agencies, non-profits and businesses braved threats of a winter storm to attend the Italian American Veterans Museum’s first-ever Veterans Resource Fair on Jan. 11. The event was co-hosted by the Cook County Clerk’s Office. The entire third floor of the Casa Italia office building was bustling with activity from […]
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Museum President Paul Basile couldn’t believe his ears. National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Executive Board Member and Legal Counsel Enrico Mirabelli was calling to inform him that the sports hall would be donating $5,000 to the museum! The remarkably generous bequest was given in memory of founder George Randazzo’s military service. Paul gathered intel from museum curator Steve […]
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Colonel Renato Bacci, U.S. Army (Retired), was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in a ceremony at the Pentagon Office Complex in Washington D.C. on Nov. 15. He was recognized for his service as state chair of the Illinois Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve from October 2013 to September […]
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It was all hands on deck when board member Joe Troiani presented an acclaimed PBS documentary at the museum on Dec. 7, 2019. “Heroes on Deck: World War II on Lake Michigan” tells the untold tale of a program that trained more than 15,000 carrier pilots off the shores of the Windy City during World War II. The training took […]
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