World War II veteran who died in 1995 Chicago heat wave gets proper burial
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous 1995 Chicago heat wave, which took 739 lives.
One of them was a World War II veteran who got a proper sendoff in Homewood on Thursday.
Silence filled the air at Homewood Memorial Gardens Thursday was Taps was played, while veterans saluted another veteran, Emilio Aguirre, a World War II U.S. Army veteran and former prisoner of war.
"Emilio, I hope I eased your pain," said local historian and U.S. Army veteran Charles Henderson.
Henderson dedicated five years to uncovering Aguirre's story.
"I feel like, even though I don't know him, I kind of know him, you know?" Henderson said. "He's like an adopted great-grandfather. So it's a long road, but you know, I'm glad this day is here."
Henderson watched the 2019 documentary called "Cooked: Survival by Zip Code," about the 1995 heat wave. The documentary briefly featured Aguirre. The documentary noted that Aguirre was awarded a bronze star, and served for almost two years in World War II and was a private.
"That really sparked the conversation because Emilio, when he passed away, he was in an unmarked grave," said Kevin Barszcz, director of the Chicago Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs.
Aguirre was born in 1914 in Mexico, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943. He served as an undocumented citizen.
He fought during World War II and endured more than 400 days as a prisoner of war.
"With no documentation, we can only guess what Emilio went through as a prisoner of war," said retired U.S. Army Captain Monika Stoy.
Aguirre survived fighting in the war, but died alone in Chicago's historic 1995 deadly heat wave. On Thursday, he was given a proper funeral.
The 2019 documentary showed 30 people being buried in Homewood Memorial Gardens. Aguirre was amongst them.
"I heard on the radio they were going to do this burial, so I said to my husband, oh, we should stop there," Elaine Egdorf/Homewood Historical Society
Egdorf, 89, was there for the burial of the heat victims.
"It's quite remarkable," said Egdorf. "I think of everybody, after all these years still care about this story and care about the people."
The Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs said it is looking into different ways to honor the 30 individuals at Homewood Memorial Gardens.
