Edgewater veterans stir patriotic spirit in the community

EDGEWATER – Most passersby in Edgewater are likely unaware of what is contained in the flagpole that stands in front of the Creekside Lodge.

From the outside, it’s impossible to see the bullet and match stored inside the ball, or “truck,” on top of the pole, there as a symbol of the need to defend the flag against enemies and destroy it properly in the case of a surrender.

The PVC pipe nestled under the flag, housing a list of names, is also hidden from view.

But when Carl Menconi passes by the flag, he knows.

It was Menconi – who served in the Army during the Korean War and started the veterans’ group in Edgewater – that proposed the American flag be placed in a visible spot.

It didn’t take long for his goal to be accomplished either. After receiving half of the necessary funds from the Elgin State Bank, Menconi brought up the idea at an Edgewater Board meeting in 2008 to erect a flag pole.

By the meeting’s end, Menconi had the rest of the money needed. At the veterans’ meeting later that night, members of the group also donated money. The names of everyone who contributed to the flag pole are written inside the pipe.

The light next to the flag was donated by Edgewater residents Jerry and Marilyn Girka. Their son, Steve, installed the light and maintains it.

The day of the flag’s dedication was marked with a 21-gun salute by the Elgin American Legion Post 57, and the V.F.W. Post 1307 raised the flag for the first time.

Since that day, the American flag has waved in Edgewater. The veterans’ group lowers the flag to half-mast every time a fellow member passes away. The flag is also lowered for firefighters and police officers from Illinois who die in the line of duty.

“I hope that all our boys come back,” Menconi said. “Every time we put it down half-staff, I get a lump in my throat.”

The veterans’ group began about five years ago with just six members. Today, the group is 110 members strong. Meetings take place once a month on the first Wednesday of the month.

Meetings feature refreshments, often prepared by members’ wives, but sometimes supplied by Country Doughnuts. The veterans invite a speaker to every meeting and have welcomed speakers from a variety of fields in the past.

Guests at past meetings include: former Rep. for Illinois’ 14th district Bill Foster, owner of Oberweis Dairy and public office seeker Jim Oberweis, Elgin Mayor David Kaptain, and Edward Jones financial advisor Don Gaylord.

“It’s easier to get political speakers when they’re up for election,” Menconi joked, adding that he appreciated all the speakers donating their time as volunteers.

The veterans’ group typically averages between 40 and 50 members in attendance, but Menconi said he would love to see a meeting with every member present.

“I’d like to have it just one time so we could take over the lodge,” he joked.

Though the veterans’ group primarily operates on a social level, they do participate in some charitable works.

On May 31, some members traveled to the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Maywood, Ill. to deliver donated clothing to veterans in need.

The group withstood a very rainy and unseasonably cold day to deliver the items and visit with patients.

“They were very happy that they had somebody to talk to besides the people that they’re with all day long,” Jerry Siegler, who served in Korea with the Air Force, said.

The day had a profound impact on the veterans’ group, as well.

“It was very moving for us visiting them because we saw the results of what injuries do to people, and so that was very moving for us,” Paul Bleers, a Vietnam veteran with the Army, said.

It’s bonding and camaraderie that have contributed to the group’s substantial growth over the years.

“When Carl brought us together, I had just moved in. And I thought a social group is a way to meet people. One of the main reasons I joined was the social offering, and it’s a good way to connect with people,” Bleers said.

In addition to the flag, the veterans’ group is also represented in Edgewater by a plaque in Creekside Lodge featuring the names of the group’s members. Among those names is a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor and a veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.

Plaques and ornamentation like those in Edgewater and in Elgin’s Veterans Memorial Park are poignant reminders of sacrifices made by soldiers to defend the country and its citizens’ rights.

But when veterans like those in the Edgewater group are still so active, they have yet to stop giving back.

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