Chicagoland Veterans Campus opens in Addison with leaders, veterans groups and state guard in attendance

The Chicagoland Veterans Campus held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in Addison, drawing local officials, military leaders and veterans organizations to celebrate the new museum and resource center.

"Good afternoon. My name is Lorenzo Furentino," said Lorenzo Furentino, the retired major who founded and leads the campus, as he opened the program and introduced a lineup of government and veterans' group representatives.

Mayor Tom Huntley presented a proclamation recognizing the campus and described the site as both a new historical destination and a place for veterans to find services and community. He credited earlier local officials and community groups with helping recruit the museum to Addison and encouraged residents to visit the multi-museum campus.

Major General Rodney Boyd, the Adjutant General and director of the Illinois Department of Military Affairs, told the crowd the Illinois National Guard is part of the community and thanked local volunteers. Boyd cited personnel and deployment figures as context for the campus's role: "As the commander of the Illinois National Guard, I oversee approximately 13,000 military members, about 2,200 full-time military and federal employees and 230 civilian state employees," he said, and added that the Guard has seen record enlistment and more than 2,500 Guardsmen deployed last year.

Speakers from several veterans organizations read congratulatory letters and pledged support for the new campus. Bobby Welch, representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars, read a message from VFW leadership calling the campus "a lasting tribute to the service and sacrifice of America's veterans." The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and the Military Order of Foreign Wars also offered written commendations and said they expect to place items on display.

Chief Wambbley Lux, listed in program materials with the Sue Nation, urged attention to current veteran needs: "We still have too many veterans committing suicide," he said, and called for tangible supports such as tiny-home communities for homeless veterans.

Representatives of faith and civic groups — including St. Paul Lutheran Church and the Daughters of the American Revolution — presented certificates and a commemorative America 250 flag, and organizers thanked funders and volunteers for financial and in-kind support.

Organizers closed the program by inviting attendees to tour the campus collections, meet living historians representing service eras from the Revolutionary War to the present and take advantage of the campus's archives and veteran services.

The campus opening was ceremonial; no formal votes or policy actions were taken at the event. The program was recorded and organizers said the video would be posted on the village website and social channels.