Come January, Maggie Reif's eyes and ears will be glued to the television, radio and Internet reports, hoping for news -- hopefully, nothing but good news -- concerning the American military presence in war-torn Afghanistan for 12 consecutive months.
So, too, will the attention of her son and the five children of her police officer husband, Steve, for their father -- and 9-year-old Andrew's step dad -- may frequently be in harm's way, serving as a sergeant with the Illinois Army Air Guard as one of three door gunners on a CH-47 double-rotor Chinook helicopter in the skies over Afghanistan.
"I always just wanted to serve my country," said Kneifel, 39, in a recent interview, just before leaving Nov. 12 as part of an 80-member Peoria-based 238th General Support Aviation battalion and undergoing two months of intensive combat training in Fort Sill, Okla., before deploying for a year in the Middle East.
"I've got a little fear, a little bit of anxiety," he said, revealing he will be home for Christmas before deploying overseas. "I also know there's nothing I can do about it. This is the real thing. I'm going overseas for 12 months whether I like it or not."
Other than serving as air support for the 101st Airborne Division, he admits he doesn't really know where he will be geographically and can only guess.
Beyond that, it's probably best he doesn't know -- or say, for his own safety and security.
"I have an idea about some of our missions; we'll be doing a lot of troop transports and flying seven hours a day ... but that's about it," he revealed, surmising they might often find themselves near the country's eastern border with Pakistan -- where much fighting is taking place. "I'm going to be right in the middle of it."
Since, 2001, the 15-year municipal patrolman -- 12-plus with the La Grange Police Department -- has been in the reserves. And he has been in and out of the service since his teens.
He was recognized at an Oct. 27 Town Meeting by Village President Liz Asperger, three days before colleagues threw a farewell party for him and members of the American Legion Coulter Post 1941 presented him with a blue star flag and four days before family and friends joined him in a goodbye party thrown by the owners of La Perla & Thipi Thai.
He was recently feted by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan for his efforts in helping prevent crimes to seniors and was cited in July of 2005 for dedication and exemplary service for helping out in a multijurisdictional drug investigation that led to many arrests.
In 1990, he served in the first round of fighting with Iraq on active duty during Operation Desert Storm -- where he was a mechanic fixing jet engines on the RC-135 refueler in Saudi Arabia.
More than a decade later, for six months in 2001, he trained in biological and chemical
warfare to prepare for deployment in Operation Desert Shield.
But, he recalled, he was never called up.
Then came the call to action -- just a few months back.
"I was told (in September) and I had a feeling it was going to happen," he said, shortly before taking a leave of absence from the force. "I figure it's better Afghanistan than Iraq. I think we're done in Iraq, but there's still work to be done where I'm going."
Kneifel, a squad leader hired by La Grange in January of 1997 and appointed elderly service officer in February of 2007 -- serving as point man for senior outreach through a grant-funded initiative called Aging Well -- has been in the military for 13 years.
He entered on a delayed enlistment in 1986, a year before he graduating from Evanston High School.
"After high school, I began training," he said, noting he attended basic and technical training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
In the beginning of 1992, he went on active Army duty after going through basic and advanced infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga. His first tour of duty was in Fort Campbell, Ky., where he served for two years before a long break in service.
He re-enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 2000 and has been in the reserves one weekend a month ever since.
His first assignment was with the Illinois Air National Guard Reserves, where he actively served for one weekend a month and three weeks in the summer for five years stationed right outside O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Kneifel got married to his first wife in 1990 and had five children together.
While still married in early 1994, he started his law enforcement career as a patrol officer in Bowling Green, Ky., after getting out of the service the first time around.
His inspiration for joining the military was, in part, due to his stepfather's own background. A fellow officer -- Miles Odom -- was also deployed to Iraq a few years ago.
"My step dad was in the service and he talked about it a lot," he said, noting his stepfather was an Army and Reserves officer who served during Vietnam.
He realizes the Afghanistan and Iraq conflict is a different war than his stepfather fought. Still, he feels safer than one might imagine, given the constant news of American and allied attacks and casualties abroad.
"I've trained on helicopters and it's not too often that one goes down," he said, "but when it does, it really does (hit) home. It's tough to see my (military) brothers go down like that."
"But ..." added Kneifel, ever the polite person one can only imagine he has taught his children to be: "things can happen."
After all. he said, even the streets of La Grange can be dangerous -- referring to a shootout outside of Harris Bank south of 47th Street a few years ago in which an armed robber led police on a multijurisdictional chase and killed himself after breaking into a home and killing a family dog during an all-night standoff six towns away in Villa Park.
His said his children are old enough to understand potential consequences of his departure, his wife was a bit upset upon hearing the news and his stepson was confused.
"It was a little hard for him to understand and it's going to be a little tough when I'm away ... but hopefully, it's going to go quick," he said. "What will help this time is I'll have my cell phone and laptop, so we'll be emailing a lot, and I'll have my camera taking pictures and sending them over and using my webcam and voice over the Internet."
Still, he says he looks forward to serving his country and coming home -- quickly.
"I just want to get it going," he said. "I'll be working a lot of hours so the time (will go) by quick. It's going to be hard but we'll all get through it."
Senior citizens at the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging on Harris Avenue in downtown La Grange will undoubtedly miss his daily presence and frequent friendly visits, as will those in churches and civic organizations and even private residences around town.
For nearly two years, "Officer Steve" has been fulfilling a goal he said he realized was an unmet need on the department before he became an ESO and one that was only being addressed on a part-time basis before him by his close colleague, Detective Dave Rohlicek, who has since trained Kneifel.
Every day, he helps out seniors with any issue they face, whether it be handicapped access or Medicare dilemmas, educating them about protection from home repair scam artists or identity thieves, or something as simple as conducting well-being checks or helping them figure something out.
"I go to a lot of senior meetings," said Kneifel, who earned his ESO certification through the Illinois Attorney General's Office in Springfield. "I really enjoy helping the seniors out. It's just a great feeling."
He said Police Chief Michael Holub -- also a U.S. Army veteran who served as an overnight guard during the Vietnam era in Washington, D.C. -- has been most accommodating about his partial pay with benefits leave. And, most seniors he's told about his deployment have been "pretty supportive," he said, adding, "They're going to pray for me."
However, he said he will not only miss not his wife and children and senior pals but the whole town.
"It's been going great and I love it here; I really do," he said. "It's such a close-knit community and I'm so glad that while we're growing we're still able to keep control of the crime rate."
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
VOTERS APPROVE PARK LAND SALE
Park District of La Grange voters have apparently given the Park Board the green light to go ahead with its plans to sell 2.82 acres of the 17.5-acre Gordon Park for a rumored $6 million, despite a contentious battle fought by a vocal opposition to the proposal.
According to unofficial results released late Tuesday night by the Cook County Clerk's Election Department, the referendum question was approved by a 54.73 to 45.27 percent margin. With all 16 precincts reporting, there were 4,164 yes votes and 3,444 no votes.
Although the proposed sale of public green space quickly gained opposition more than a year ago and spurred a lawsuit from resident Orlando Coryell (the president of the Citizens' Council of La Grange) and a vitriolic Internet blogging campaign by other opponents (with a little help from the Citizens Advocacy Center in Elmhurst), a pro-referendum group -- Citizens for a Great Gordon Park -- organized late in the game, with a $30,000 startup donation from Atlantic Realty Partners.
ARP is the proposed developer of the former Rich Port YMCA site, which will include the controversial 2.82-acre site in question based on an auction bid already negotiated with the Park District. Park officials believe the amount will be significantly higher than any other bid when the land is put on the auction block, as required by law. The development, to be called La Grange Place, is a mixed-use apartment and townhome complex with more than 30,000 square feet of retail space.
The land for sale is on the northwestern edge of the park, according to the Park District, just east of La Grange Towers and south of the Plymouth Place retirement community, comprised of two parcels. The larger parcel is on a hill and not used for many activities, the district maintained, and the smaller, 1.1-acre piece, has an empty maintenance shed -- the contents of which are now located in the new community center on East Avenue.
In a separate deal, the Park District has already agreed to swap a vacated .7-acre Shawmut Avenue (which splits the 2.82 acres) with the village. Shawmut will become a street and in exchange the village will give the district the east side of the Locust Avenue parking lot between the Y building and the park, which will become green space in a new 14.7-acre Gordon Park. That project will be heavily financed with proceeds from the land sale.
No official Election Night gatherings were held, partly because of the belief it may have taken too long to determine the final results. As a matter of fact, a glitch in the county's computerized vote tally equipment or software caused just that to occur.
Long before the results were known Tuesday, pro-referendum activist Kate Brogan said it was such an odd ballot question in the first place.
"A 'no' vote (is) not going to stop anything," she said, speculating the La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue property would be redeveloped one way or the other and perhaps with a big-box retail giant instead. "In my mind, (ARP) made a wise business decision."
Brogan's group had the same color signs as the opposition -- one green on white, the other white on green. Over the weekend, vandals stuck duct tape over the word 'yes' on many of the pro-referendum signs, according to police.
The next step? The closing on the land deal and property exchange and final approval of the agreement by the village, which still is finalizing redevelopment plans before it issues demolition or building permits for the project.
According to unofficial results released late Tuesday night by the Cook County Clerk's Election Department, the referendum question was approved by a 54.73 to 45.27 percent margin. With all 16 precincts reporting, there were 4,164 yes votes and 3,444 no votes.
Although the proposed sale of public green space quickly gained opposition more than a year ago and spurred a lawsuit from resident Orlando Coryell (the president of the Citizens' Council of La Grange) and a vitriolic Internet blogging campaign by other opponents (with a little help from the Citizens Advocacy Center in Elmhurst), a pro-referendum group -- Citizens for a Great Gordon Park -- organized late in the game, with a $30,000 startup donation from Atlantic Realty Partners.
ARP is the proposed developer of the former Rich Port YMCA site, which will include the controversial 2.82-acre site in question based on an auction bid already negotiated with the Park District. Park officials believe the amount will be significantly higher than any other bid when the land is put on the auction block, as required by law. The development, to be called La Grange Place, is a mixed-use apartment and townhome complex with more than 30,000 square feet of retail space.
The land for sale is on the northwestern edge of the park, according to the Park District, just east of La Grange Towers and south of the Plymouth Place retirement community, comprised of two parcels. The larger parcel is on a hill and not used for many activities, the district maintained, and the smaller, 1.1-acre piece, has an empty maintenance shed -- the contents of which are now located in the new community center on East Avenue.
In a separate deal, the Park District has already agreed to swap a vacated .7-acre Shawmut Avenue (which splits the 2.82 acres) with the village. Shawmut will become a street and in exchange the village will give the district the east side of the Locust Avenue parking lot between the Y building and the park, which will become green space in a new 14.7-acre Gordon Park. That project will be heavily financed with proceeds from the land sale.
No official Election Night gatherings were held, partly because of the belief it may have taken too long to determine the final results. As a matter of fact, a glitch in the county's computerized vote tally equipment or software caused just that to occur.
Long before the results were known Tuesday, pro-referendum activist Kate Brogan said it was such an odd ballot question in the first place.
"A 'no' vote (is) not going to stop anything," she said, speculating the La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue property would be redeveloped one way or the other and perhaps with a big-box retail giant instead. "In my mind, (ARP) made a wise business decision."
Brogan's group had the same color signs as the opposition -- one green on white, the other white on green. Over the weekend, vandals stuck duct tape over the word 'yes' on many of the pro-referendum signs, according to police.
The next step? The closing on the land deal and property exchange and final approval of the agreement by the village, which still is finalizing redevelopment plans before it issues demolition or building permits for the project.
Monday, November 3, 2008
BATTERIES NEEDED FOR SECRET SANTA
Santa is headed to La Grange and needs loads of batteries to power the toys that fill his sleigh. The Community Nurse Secret Santa program needs the community to “power up” for the nearly 900 children whose Christmas stockings will be stuffed with battery operated games and educational toys. Books for all ages are also needed.
All battery sizes are needed including AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt and button cell.
Books for all ages are also a high need to fill the empty stockings hanging in the workshop. Every child receives an age-appropriate book including soft books for infants, board books for toddlers and early and teen readers.
Also needed:
Community Nurse serves more than 2,750 low income and uninsured families from Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Hinsdale, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, LaGrange Highlands, LaGrange Park, Lyons, Oak Brook, Western Springs, Willowbrook and Willow Springs.
Donations of new items can be brought to CNHA’s clinic at 110 Calendar Ave. in La Grange. Office hours are Mondays-Friday 9am to 5pm. Monetary donations can be mailed to Community Nurse, 23 Calendar Ave., La Grange, IL 60525. For more information, call 708.352.0081.
All battery sizes are needed including AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt and button cell.
Books for all ages are also a high need to fill the empty stockings hanging in the workshop. Every child receives an age-appropriate book including soft books for infants, board books for toddlers and early and teen readers.
Also needed:
- Underwear (panties or boxers) in children’s’ sizes 4 thru 20
- long sleeved tops, jeans, sweaters/fleece in children’s’ sizes 4 to 18, especially sizes 14, 16 and 18
- warm pajamas/sleep pants in sizes 4 to 14, adult size S, M, L
- hats, gloves (warm and waterproof)
- action figures & characters (i.e. Dora)
- building toys (Lego’s, K’nex)
- books
- art sets
- craft sets
- sport balls/ all types and sizes: volleyball, soccer, football, baseball
Community Nurse serves more than 2,750 low income and uninsured families from Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Hinsdale, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, LaGrange Highlands, LaGrange Park, Lyons, Oak Brook, Western Springs, Willowbrook and Willow Springs.
Donations of new items can be brought to CNHA’s clinic at 110 Calendar Ave. in La Grange. Office hours are Mondays-Friday 9am to 5pm. Monetary donations can be mailed to Community Nurse, 23 Calendar Ave., La Grange, IL 60525. For more information, call 708.352.0081.
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