Jerry Zabel was born in 1947 just outside of Munich, Germany. His mother and father, who met shortly after World War II while working at a clothing factory, were both survivors of the Holocaust; having endured life in concentration camps at the forefront.
Imagine a family of eleven children reared on the near west side of Chicago which sent all the men, brothers and brothers-in-law alike, into service of our country. This is the Latham family legacy.
Dr. Richard Lee was sure of one thing as he shipped out for Vietnam in May of 1969. “I knew I was going to die,” he says with the calm, matter-of-fact assurance of a seasoned clinician accustomed to facing hard truths.
It was a childhood plagued with asthma and multiple hospital stays that first put the thought of nursing into Denise O’Leary Kennedy’s head. She saw so many nurses during those early years she couldn’t help but admire them.
Ronald “Ron” Wills was born and raised in Saybrook, a small town in Central Illinois where Ron’s father farmed while his mother raised Ron, his brother and three sisters, and helped run the machinery with the best of them.
Dr. Stuart Poticha grew up on the north side of Chicago near Wrigley Field. His father was a flight surgeon in the Marine Corps during World War II.
Donald Clarke was born near Boston in 1948 and grew up next to the Revere Beach amusement park and boardwalk. His family has a strong history of fighting for the United States.