First commander still in thick of it

At 95, he's in charge of VFW's Memorial Day parade

Lake Villa VFW's first post commander, 95-year-old Tony Sciacero, is still going strong since he helped organize Lake Villa Post 4308 in 1954.

He annually organizes the Memorial Day parade and memorial service for the post that is now led by Commander Suzanne Ogden.

This year's parade, which will feature U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, will step off from Palombi Middle School on McKinley Avenue at 1 p.m. May 26. The VFW color guard will lead the parade, with some of the 800 post members riding and marching.

"Members who are too old to walk will ride in the parade," Sciacero said.

The route takes the parade down Cedar Avenue to Lehmann Park, where a public memorial service will be held with Bean as the main speaker. After the memorial service, refreshments will be served to parade participants at the nearby VFW Hall, 130 E. Grand Ave.

"This year will be outstanding," Sciacero said. "Lake Villa Boy Scout Troop 323 is really involved and will raise and lower the flag, play taps and dedicate the new memorial. The band from Lakes Community High School will play patriotic music in the park as part of the service."

The new memorial to be dedicated in the park is the Eagle Scout project of troop member Mike Lubash. "That is really a great project that boy has accomplished," Sciacero said.

Sciacero was born and raised in Lake Villa. He is a veteran of WW II, serving in Germany in the U.S. Army, 104th Infantry Division. "I was in the Timber Wolves under Gen. Terry Allen. We still hold a reunion every year," Sciacero said.

Sciacero has been organizing the parade for years, maybe even decades.

"Don't ask me, I don't remember how long I have been doing this. I do it because I want people to come out and enjoy it and remember those who have served our country."

The day will start early for VFW members, beginning with a memorial service at the VFW at 10:30 a.m., followed by a service at Angola Cemetery on Route 83 south of Grand Avenue.

"Veterans are buried there, and we do a Memorial Day tribute to our fallen comrades," said Ogden, a veteran of the Air Force who served in Operation Joint Guard in Bosnia.

"Part of our ritual is for our members to gather for a service and then go to Angola Cemetery and hold a service there, where we fire a volley. I usually get up at about 6 a.m. and travel around the village to make sure all our flags are flying at half-mast. All flags are supposed to fly at half-mast on Memorial Day," Sciacero said.

The two days before Memorial Day, May 24 and 25, are the VFW's Buddy Poppy Days, when VFW members seek donations throughout the Lake Villa area.

"I will be on the roads down here wearing my outfit. We collect money for the veterans hospital in North Chicago or for any veteran who needs financial help. The money can be only used to help veterans," Sciacero said.

"It's all about veterans," Ogden said about the VFW's annual fund-raiser. "That is what this post, Buddy Poppy Days and Memorial Day are all about."