ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS (June 17, 2026) — Community members heard from Soldiers and Veterans this morning at Heritage Hall on Rock Island Arsenal as part of "Heroes in Conversation." The event is a dedicated storytelling and community-building event designed to honor the legacy of the American Soldier and service members, bringing together veterans and active-duty military from a multitude of generations and backgrounds to discuss their experiences firsthand. Eight panelists participated, sharing everything from their favorite MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) to what makes them feel most free and patriotic. The event coincides with Army Heritage Month, the Army's 251st birthday, and the 250th birthday of the United States.
Quotes
1) Maj Ian Black, deputy director, Supply Chain Operations Directorate, US Army Sustainment Command
“It's just knowing that I can connect with someone across eighty plus years — that we went through the same things, you know, whether it's standing in the long lines, not knowing where you're going. Granted, he was on trains and I'm on airplanes, but we have those experiences that span, and I'm proud to be up here with all of you today. And for all the other veterans who are out there who have served that, thank you. And I'm proud to call you my brother and sister.”
2): Lt Col Mary Ayres, US Army
“I saw more of Iraq than the civilians of Iraq did, and all of that perspective gave me a lot of appreciation for my parents. And I wrote a multiple page note back to them, thanking them for littlest things. Raising me in a safe place because I saw all these kids riding around literally in the trunk of the car, in front of us, in front of our convoy. And just the appreciation for my parents making sure I had shoes on my feet because these kids didn't have shoes, making sure that I had clean water and fresh food, and all of those simple little things that we take for granted every single day.”
3) Maj Lewis Boatner, US Army Reserve
“I feel that that's it's a part of me. Right? And that's what you that's what you get when you come into the military. You know that you are a part of something bigger. So to me. Yes. Is it 250 years that I feel? Or do I just feel the sense of just legacy, knowing that my parents did it, my siblings did it, all four of my sons have done it. You know, it's just what it is to me is family.”
4) Lt Col Mary Ayres, US Army
“There's so much that the military impacted in our marriage, our career path, because literally I remember being in Fort Rucker, Alabama, and my husband's there and it's like, well, I guess I'm not going to do what my original Bachelor's was. I guess I'll become a nurse. Never in a million years did I think I would be sitting here 32 years in as a lieutenant colonel, army nurse, nurse practitioner. So it's it only goes to show you what you can do in the military. If you give it the opportunity and you take it for all that it has to offer.”
5) Retired US Army Sgt. Maj. Todd Jaeger
“You know, a lot of good leaders throughout my career molded me into the position where I was. And some bad ones - the bad ones are just as good of teachers as the good ones.”
6) Former U.S. Navy Cryptologic Technician Administrator 2 Rebecca Meeke
“There has been unbroken service in my family since we started as a nation. Tracing that ancestry all the way back. I see my family's story that was forged at the very crucible of the birth of this nation. It's a very real sense that the true genesis of our identity began with that fight for independence. We continue to keep that fight going so we keep it.”
