IAVM President Renato Bacci offered a bird’s-eye view of a war-torn country on the mend during a revealing AV presentation on Nov. 14 at the museum. The retired Army Colonel arrived in Sarajevo on January 27, 1996, with an MBA and 24 years as a banking executive under his belt. His mission? To help rebuild the banking system in Bosnia […]
Read More
The Italian American Podcast invited IAVM President Renato Bacci as their guest on a Nov. 9 episode dedicated to Veterans Day. Bacci spoke about the contributions of Italian Americans to our nation’s military history; shed light on the museum’s mission, exhibits and activities; and shared memories of his own military experiences, including the difference between the meals served by the […]
Read More
IAVM Curator Steve Corbo gave members of the Arcolian Dental Arts Society a guided tour of the Italian American Veterans Museum on Oct. 26. Among the visitors was Arcolian President Derek Fornelli, DDS, son of Joe Fornelli, a Huey helicopter crew chief during the Vietnam War who is prominently featured in the museum and played a key role in its […]
Read More
Retired Army Major Lorenzo Fiorentino wowed an appreciative crowd with his knowledge of Illinois military monuments at an Aug. 22 presentation at the Italian American Veterans Museum. An author of a book on the subject, Fiorentino departed from the text to share several stories not covered in the pages of his well-researched and richly illustrated volume. Audience members were treated […]
Read More
Joe Fabiani saw his share of action as a light weapons squad leader with the 2nd Division, 23rd Infantry, East Company, during the Korean War, revealing those sometimes harrowing experiences as part of the Melrose Park Library’s Veterans History Project several years back. Five years after his passing, his niece Sandra Donovan donated a recording of that interview to the […]
Read More
On June 25, Tom Pacyga stopped by the Italian American Veterans Museum to donate a practice bomb that had been used in the training of Navy air crews on Lake Michigan during World War II. Hollow and deceptively light, the bomb had been gathering dust in Pacyga’s garage for decades. He was inspired to make the donation after seeing publicity […]
Read More
Army veteran Michael Holub offered a rousing introduction to one of the Army’s most elite regiments at a June 27 presentation at the museum. A member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment during his tour of duty in the 1970s, Holub now spreads the word as a spokesperson for the Old Guard Association. Known as the Old Guard, the regiment […]
Read More
On January 3, Lorenzo Fiorentino and Richard Wojewnik picked up a large quantity of books and records from the Italian American Veterans Museum and placed them on the shelves of the recently opened Chicagoland Combined Veterans Museum, Library and Honor Wall. Fiorentino and Wojewnik are members of the American Legion Post 335 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5979, which […]
Read More
Retired Army Colonel and museum board President Renato Bacci recently represented the Italian American Veterans Museum in a virtual signing of a Statement of Support for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The Statement of Support demonstrates an organization’s commitment to those two branches of the military. Illinois ESGR State Chair Laurie Silvey and Employer Outreach Co-Director Scott Klein hosted the ceremony via Zoom […]
Read More
The Italian American Veterans Museum was a socially distanced beehive of activity on Columbus Day, with more than 17 visitors passing through its doors on the afternoon of Oct. 12, 2020. Strict protocols were followed, with everybody wearing masks, using hand sanitizer, and occupancy limited to groups of no more than 10 family members and friends at a time. Board […]
Read More
