June 29, 2023. Since its inception, the Foundation has recognized organizations that work on behalf of this country’s military veterans and first responders. While we are grateful to our veterans and first responders every single day as we experience the abundance of living in a free country, the Foundation uses the month of June to THANK EACH AND EVERY veteran, first responder and the families who wait for them.
This firm is blessed with many military vets and those who were first responders.
We list them below these pictures: their branch, rank and years of service so you can thank our brave colleagues who were willing to put his or her life on the line to defend this country, our cities, our safety and our freedom. (We also list colleagues’ kids and spouses who are serving or served). We thank them all! When possible, we've included a photo provided by the service member or his or her family.
Shane Bageant Anthony Del Giudice Rob Henneberry
Damon Lane Benjamin Marcus Steven McDonnell
Keala Moyer Wesley Schmidt Jeff Scott
Christian Simpson Clay Smoczynski Andy Subramanian
Our Best of the Best:
Shane Bageant, Armed Specialist, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army, Special Operations Command, 4 years
Wayne Conn, husband of Debbie Del Giudice, Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, served in Central America right before the Vietnam War, 4 years
Anthony Del Giudice, son of Debbie Del Giudice, Captain, U.S. Marine Corps/stationed in South Pacific, 10 years
Rob Henneberry, E-4/Specialist, U.S. Army, 3 years, Army Reserves, 6 years, and EMT/Medic, 4 years
Chris Lagioia, Staff Sergeant, Crew Chief KD135, U.S. Air Force, 9 years
Damon Lane, E-4 Specialist, U.S. Army, 8 years
Rick Lunde (deceased colleague, but not forgotten), Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps/Coast Guard P03
Matt Lynch, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Air Force E5, 6 years
Benjamin Marcus, son of Jon Marcus, is a 2nd Lieutenant with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. On June 23rd, proud father Jon pinned on Benjamin’s newly-earned Ranger tab
Steven McDonnell, son of Patti McDonnell, is a pilot currently deployed in Germany with the U.S. Air Force. He flies a KC135 refueling plane
Keala Moyer, Patrol Officer from 2019-2021 and a detective from 2021-2023 for the DeKalb Police Department. During her service, she received a Medal of Valor and a Medal of Honor
Scott Patrick, son-in-law of Greg and Terumi Schmidt, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 9 years, still serving
Wesley Schmidt, son of Greg and Terumi, Captain, U.S. Army, 11 years
Jeff Scott, U.S. Marine Corps, served in the Gulf War, 4 years
Katherine Scully, daughter of Greg and Terumi Schmidt, Specialist, U.S. Army, 2 years, still serving
Christian Simpson, recently hired to the firm (Spring 2023), is an active member of the Illinois Army National Guard. He commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in August of 2022; branched Field Artillery (13A) and is currently with the 122nd Field Artillery Regiment as a Fire Directions Officer. Later in July, he will go off for 5 months of training
Clay Smoczynski, son of Christy Knierim, Airborne Infantry Rifleman, 211 Arctic Angels, U.S. Army, 2 years, still serving
Andy Subramanian, Corporal, U.S. Army,11B (Infantry), 5 years
John Synal, U.S. Air Force, 6 years
During the month for Military Veterans, First Responders and Their Families, the Foundation is proud that it has donated over $260,000 to various organizations since our inception. Here are several with whom we have worked:
June 1, 2023. The Foundation is grateful to generations of Americans who have served their country and kept its democracy alive for nearly 250 years, along with those who have paid the ultimate price. None of them will ever be forgotten and we are grateful for their unfailing devotion to freedom and the American way of life.
Since its first year, the Foundation has recognized the great sacrifices made by those who have enlisted in one of the branches of the military, chosen to be first responders....and the families who wait for their family members to come home. Here, we summarize the pivotal military moments in this country’s history and how many Americans served in each.
American Revolution (1775-1783). The exact number of U.S. service members that fought in the American Revolution is deemed to be between 184,000–250,000. During the war’s eight years, American Patriots fought for American independence from Great Britain, and in June 1776, though the war was still in full swing, the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. In September of 1783, Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States in the Treaty of Paris. 4,435 U.S. service members were killed during the Revolutionary War.
War of 1812 (1812-1815), Indian Wars (approximately 1817-1898) and Mexican War (1846-1865). The total number of service members who fought during these three wars is: 471,448, with 16,543 total deaths. The War of 1812, also called the War of Independence, pitted the United States against Great Britain and many historians have called it “a second war of independence”. The Indian Wars lasted a staggering 81 years, with the Mexican War lasting 19 years.
Civil War (1861-1865). Approximately 2.75 million soldiers fought during the war that pitted American against American. 2 million soldiers fought for the North (the Union Army) and the estimate for the South (the Confederate Army) ranges from 750,000 to 1,227,890 (the enlistment strength for the Confederate Army is estimated due to incomplete and destroyed records). Total Union casualties were 642,427, while 483,026 Confederate soldiers were killed. Disease also played a large part in the casualties on each side.
Spanish-American War (1898-1898). There were 306,760 service members who fought in this war between the United States and Spain. The war, which lasted about 6 months, was fought to end Spanish colonial rule in the Americas. When the war was over, the U.S. had liberated Cuba and Guam and Puerto Rico were ceded to the U.S. Finally, sovereignty over the Philippines was given to the U.S. for $20 million paid to Spain. There were 2,446 casualties in this war.
World War I (1917-1918). Often called the “Great War”, World War I began after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. The war pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan and the U.S. (the Allied Powers). The total number of U.S. service members who fought worldwide in WWI is 4,734,991. 53,402 were killed in battle and 63,114 in other deaths in service during the war. However, with “new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.” (History website)
World War II (1941-1945). The war that changed the world was fought by what has become known as The Greatest Generation. These men (and the women who stayed in America and took on the hard jobs to keep the country—and war effort—moving) grew up during the Depression and then went straight into the military when the U.S. entered WWII in 1941. Tom Brokaw called the generation who fought in WWII “a generation of towering achievement and modest demeanor, a legacy of their formative years when they were participants in and witness to sacrifices of the highest order. This is the greatest generation any society has produced.” 16,112,566 U.S. service members fought for their country on many different fronts during WWII. U.S. casualties at the end of the 5-year war were 405,419. The Department of Defense, as of September 2019, estimates that there were 389,000 living veterans, a population that sadly gets smaller every passing year.
Korean War (1950-1953). A total of 5,720,000 U.S. service members were stationed around the world at the time of the Korean War and 1,789,000 of them took part in the War itself, which is sometimes referred to as the “Forgotten War”. The U.S. joined the war on the side of the South Koreans in 1950. Ultimately, the conflict between North Korea and South Korea cost 2.5 million people their lives and more than a million combat lives on both sides. To this day, Korea is still divided into two hostile states. Total U.S. deaths were 36,574, with other deaths in service of 17,672. The DOD estimates that as of 5/2021, there were 1,165,000 living veterans of the Korean War.
Vietnam War (1964-1975). Total active U.S. service members during the Vietnam War were 8,744,000, with 3,403,000 of them deployed to Southeast Asia. The Vietnam War pitted the communist government of North Vietnam (and its allies in South Vietnam) against the government of South Vietnam (and its principal ally, the United States). The Soviet Union and China sent massive amounts of weapons, supplies and advisors to North Vietnam, and from 1965 on, the U.S. fought hard against the North’s goal to unify the entire country under a single communist regime. By 1973, with casualties and costs mounting for the United States, troops were withdrawn from the country. Not until 1995 did Vietnam release its official estimate of war dead: as many as 2 million civilians on both sides and 1.1 million service members from the North and the South. U.S. casualties were 58,220 killed in battle while 32,000 died in service (non-theater). Living veterans, again as of 5/2021, were estimated to be at 6,262,000. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. While the Vietnam War caused great divisions in the country, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most-visited memorial on the National Mall, attracting more than 5 million people a year. Etched into the massive wall are the names of each of the more than 58,000 servicemen and women who lost their lives during the War.
Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991). After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990, then President George H.W. Bush said, “This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.” Five days later, the military response known as Operation Desert Shield began. Operation Desert Shield transitioned to Operation Desert Storm on January 17, 1991, with the start of an air war against Iraq. After a massive U.S.-led air offensive and 42 days of relentless attacks, President Bush declared a ceasefire. 2,255,000 U.S. service members were serving worldwide during this conflict, with 694,550 deployed to the Gulf. There were 383 casualties during this conflict and 1,565 deaths (non-theater). Living veterans total 1,680,000.
Global War on Terrorism (Oct 2001 - ). Begun after the attacks on 9/11/2001, which killed 2,977 people in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the early war on terror included the countries of Afghanistan (where the first U.S. airstrikes were launched on 10/7/2001), Iraq, when the Iraq War began on 3/19/2003 (Saddam Hussein was captured on 12/13/2003), and Pakistan (where 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALS on 5/2/2011). The Global War on Terrorism is an ongoing offensive and involves the United States and many of its allies around the world.
AMERICA'S WARS (1775 - 2023)*
U.S Military Service During Wartime | 41,892,128 |
Battle Deaths | 1,304,702 |
Other Deaths (In Theater) | 308,800 |
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) | 230,254 |
Non-Mortal Woundings | 1,430,290 |
Living War Veterans | 14,918,000 |
Living Veterans (Periods of War & Peace) | 19,210,000 |
*From America’s Wars Fact Sheet, November 2019, Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Statista
This blog was written using many sources, including U. S. military sites, the Department of Defense, Veteran’s Affairs, History (website), Britannica (website) and various books and articles, including Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation.
