Local veteran Jack Kennedy honored at Wrigley Field

(Above) SSG Charles “Jack” Kennedy, of Clear Lake, appears on the jumbotron at Chicago’s Wrigley Field as he was honored for his service during World War II.

by Marianne Gasaway

[caption id="attachment_36068" align="alignleft" width="270"] Jack displays the baseball Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber signed for him.[/caption]

Lots of youngsters dream of standing on a professional baseball field one day being cheered by thousands; few achieve it.

As a young boy, Jack Kennedy vividly remembers his father tuning into Des Moines’ WHO radio and the two would listen as Ronald Reagan read the play by play of the Chicago Cubs baseball team back in the mid-1930s.  Although a fan for 80-years, Jack never made it to Wrigley Field to watch his beloved Cubs in person.  That all changed on July 25.

At the bottom of the fourth inning, in a game between the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks, 93-year-old Jack walked onto Wrigley Field bathed in the sound of 35,000 fans cheering and saluting him for his service in World War II.

The Cubs have signed a three-year partnership with Boeing to create a series of military recognitions both at Wrigley Field and around the world.  Activations include a military salute in the fourth inning of every Cubs home game, a first pitch at every Sunday home game by either active or retired military personnel, and the creation of several military-themed days in the team’s schedule.

Jack’s granddaughter, Ginny Conforti and her husband, Greg, who live in Chicago, nominated Jack for special recognition.  He was accompanied to the game by the couple, along with Jack’s wife, Wanda, son Scott, son-in-law Al Roper, from Florida, and grandchildren Charles Roper, from Oregon, and Samantha Bristol, from Wyoming.

The special recognition was made possible by the USO of Illinois, Boeing, and of course the Chicago Cubs.

The jumbotron in centerfield shared Jack’s image as he proudly stood on the field near the Cub’s dugout and waved.  The Wrigley field announcer shared this message:

“Ladies and gentlemen, please stand as we recognize from the United States Army Staff Sergeant Charles “Jack” Kennedy of Clear Lake, Iowa, a life long Cubs fan enjoying

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his very first Cubs game at Wrigley Field.  During his military career, Staff Sergeant Kennedy served with honor in the 9th Army from 1943-1946 under General William Simpson in the final stages of World War II. Sergeant Kennedy served in England, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany during World War II and participated in the final crossings of the River Rhine in March of 1945 as the 9th Army continued its advance into Germany until the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day. While in Europe, Sergeant Kennedy’s encoding and decoding unit provided vital intelligence to Allied forces at the front that was critical to helping to end the war.  The Chicago Cubs join Major League Baseball in thanking Staff Sergeant Jack Kennedy along with all our service men and women for their courage and sacrifice in protecting our freedom and defending the United States of America.”

“It was a very humbling situation,” said Jack.  “I was told they don’t get many World War II veterans there to honor, so it was very special — but all that applause wasn’t for me.  It was for all servicemen.”

After his appearance on the field, Jack said another 250 to 300 people made their way to where he and his family were seated during the game to offer their personal congratulations, shake his hand and thank him for his service.

“One little girl even came up to me with a baseball and pen and asked me to sign it for her,” he shared.  “That was something.”

Jack also came home to Clear Lake with an autographed baseball to remember the day.

As his military history was shared with the Chicago crowd, Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber was in the dugout listening.  Before Jack was escorted from the field, Schwarber rolled a baseball in the direction of Cub’s staff directing the presentation.

Back in his seat, Kennedy took a close look at the ball which the Cubs player had personalized.

“Thank you for your service.  Go Cubs!”  Schwarber wrote on the ball, along with his signature.

“In this day and age, when the flag is protested and there is unrest in the country, the fact that people were so willing to honor a service man with their applause and personal thanks, was very special for all those serving in the military.  It wasn’t just for me, but I was in the position to accept their thanks and it was very touching.”

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