New "American Heroes" Display Opens In Volo Auto Museum Armed Forces Exhibit

VOLO, Ill. – Sixty-eight-year-old Carol D'Amico wrapped her arms around Volo Military Museum curator Tim Davis, buried her face in his shoulder and cried.

"You're a good man," D'Amico said as she turned from Davis to view the glass case housing a memorial to her father. D'Amico's father, Joseph J. Hosek, was a U.S. Army sergeant who saw action in Normandy, northern France, the Battle of the Bulge, Germany and central Europe.

Hosek was 38 years old and the father of five when he joined the service during World War II. He now is the first to be honored in the Volo Auto and Military Museum's new American Heroes exhibit. The exhibit will be updated quarterly.

"He was a real GI Joe," D'Amico said of her father.

D'Amico wrote a letter to the museum, offering items from Hosek's time in the service. The Ingleside resident said it is important that people remember the sacrifice that military men and women make, and the museum affords a tremendous opportunity to reflect.

During the recent unveiling of the exhibit, D'Amico hung on every word as Davis read a proclamation he wrote about her dad, who died in 1980. D'Amico picked up her father's photo and dog tag and kissed them before placing them carefully back in the display case.

"What a day," she said, beaming. "This is a blessing from heaven."

Davis said the case will honor a different American hero once a quarter. The next honoree is a Viet Nam War veteran, he said. Anyone wishing to submit a veteran's name for consideration should contact Davis at (847) 712-2468.

"History is not just in books," he said. "It's in these items. It's in these medals and in these things that have been handled and used and worn."

Davis said Volo Auto Museum admission proceeds support the museum's Military Adventure and Combat Zone, where the American Heroes exhibit is housed.

"We have to get the word out," he said. "This is an incredible display and a tremendous way to honor our military personnel."