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Forgotten WWII Veteran Emilio Aguirre Honored with Full Military Honors Three Decades After His Death

Grassroots activists, city veterans officials, historians culminated a decades-long effort with a headstone unveiling at Homewood Memorial Gardens on the 30th anniversary of Aguirre’s death.

George R. Gandara, a Marine Corps League chaplain and member of the indigenous Yaqui tribe, offers prayers and blessings through a tribal tradition during a memorial to honor World War II veteran and prisoner of war Emilio Aguirre with a new headstone and full military honors, July 17, 2025, at Homewood Memorial Gardens cemetery. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • On July 17, 2025, Homewood Memorial Gardens hosted a ceremony granting Emilio Aguirre a proper headstone and full military funeral honors exactly 30 years after he died alone in the 1995 Chicago heat wave.
  • Veterans rights activist Charles Henderson worked with Chicago’s Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs director Kevin Barszcz and local historians to secure Aguirre’s discharge papers and headstone approval.
  • During the service, his Bronze Star certificate, POW Medal, naturalization certificate, military photograph and wristwatch recovered from his apartment were presented in tribute.
  • Born in Cuajimalpa de Morelos, Mexico, in 1914, Aguirre immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager, served in the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, endured over 400 days as a POW and earned multiple commendations.
  • The commemoration highlights renewed efforts to restore the identities of isolated heat wave victims and address gaps in social support during extreme weather.