UPDATE April 25, 2023 | The event continues to impress, Chicago Catholic, The Newspaper for the Archdiocese of Chicago, featured this story. Read the story here.

UPDATE April 6, 2023 | The event garnered such widespread attention that even The Beverly Review felt compelled to cover it. Read the story here.

On the evening of March 29, 2023, the Mendel Alumni Association and St. Cajetan’s Parish hosted a Vietnam War Veterans Mass and Pinning Ceremony.  According to all who attended, it was a tremendous success. 

Everyone knows how much planning and work needs to be done to make an Event like this happen. It was very comforting to know that the Alumni Association could always count on the Planning Committee Members to do whatever was needed to pull off an event like this one. 

Thank you to the Planning Committee that included Andy Youpel (‘66), Tom Gavin (‘67), Jim Chevalier (‘66), Marty Gainer (’70),  Mike Connolly (’60), Pat Regan (’68), Kelvin Lovely (’78) Bill Kushner (’71) and Mike Dreznes (’68).  You made all Mendel Men proud that evening.

The packed church of over 350 people looked beautiful, and everything went off like clockwork,  from the color guard, to Joe and the choir, to the readings, to the petitions to the entire pinning ceremony.  Fr. Ken’s homily and Deacon Joe’s speech were very moving, and one could see how their words touched so many of the Veterans.  One of the highlights of the night was the entire church erupting in applause for the altar servers whose grandfathers had served in the US Marines! The whole church was filled with pride and emotion when the choir sang “America the Beautiful!”

Many of the Veterans’ eyes filled with tears and joy as they listened to Lt. Colonel Kevin Lovell, Mike Dreznes (’68) and Marty Gainer’s (’70) s speeches. Seeing how their words touched so many of the Veterans was something really special.

After the Event, one woman said that her dad, a Vietnam Vet, was depressed recently until he heard about this Event a few weeks ago. She said his entire disposition changed entirely as he scratched each day off the calendar leading up to March 29.  The Mass and Pinning Ceremony did not disappoint him!

These were typical comments that the Planning Committee received after the Mass & Pinning Ceremony:

I just wanted to say thank you for your part in the lovely service  for our vets. My brother Patrick “Rusty” Sweeney was killed in Vietnam on July 18, 1967. He was a Navy corpsman attached to the Marines. I was blessed to represent him and receive a pin.  While I was up front I asked if I could get a pin for my neighbor, who by the way went to Bogan, Joe Dispensa. He went into hospice that very day. He was suffering with years of complications from Agent Orange. He died the very next day. He was buried yesterday with the pin on his lapel. 

Peggy Sweeney Gorby

I was thoroughly impressed by what you guys did that night. Quite moving while being inspirational at the same time. Thanks to all of you involved in putting this on.

Ray Macri ’64

Great job by the Mendel Alumni Association officers. It was a very moving mass and ceremony.

Bryan Maslanka

That was a very classy event last night.                                          

Thank you for this terrific ceremony honoring our veterans tonight. Everything was just as perfect as anyone could possibly arrange. Great job!

I think they will forever remember that night.  The mother of the 3 Butler kids came up to me after the service and thanked me profusely for asking them to be a part of this.  The other server, Annabelle Lyle, had her grandmother (her grandfather was the Vietnam veteran) there as well as her mom and that was a very special remembrance for them.  Her grandfather died in 2015 so it was an honor for her grandmother to receive a pin.  That is always the rewarding part of my job here–when I know we’ve  made a difference. 

 It really is true that it “takes a nation” to successfully pull off something like this.  It was very rewarding to watch a plan become a reality.

Colette Gurin – St Cajetan Parish

Andy Youpel once said that it feels good to do nice things for other people.  Thanks to the entire planning committee, everyone in the Mendel Alumni Association should feel really good today, and so should you!  The Mendel Alumni Association did something really, really good for a bunch of deserving guys on March 29, 2023.

Events like this make us PROUD TO BE A MENDEL MAN.

GO, YOU MEN OF MENDEL!!