A hometown veteran
Sverre Vinje, a 102-year-old Navy veteran from Rockford, Illinois, was honored by his hometown earlier this year with a community drive-by parade outside his home for his 102nd birthday, according to WTVO Eyewitness News.
A night in Milwaukee
Vinje sang “God Bless America” during Friday’s Milwaukee Brewers game against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field. More than 41,000 people joined in, and the crowd later chanted “USA! USA!”, according to a News/Talk 1130 WISN report.
The performance came on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the attacks, as Milwaukee won 20-0 and secured a postseason berth, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
What veteran population data measures
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says its VetPop2023 model uses the best available data at the end of fiscal year 2023 to estimate and project the veteran population through fiscal year 2053. The agency describes the model as a deterministic projection developed by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics. The VA also notes that the population tables on its veteran-population page represent living veterans. The information provided here describes how those estimates are produced and what they cover; it does not provide a specific current count or annual decline rate for World War II veterans in Illinois or nationally.
A record of service
The New York Post reported that Vinje served in the Navy from 1943 to 1945 and was present at the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. A separate account from St. Bernadette Catholic Church says he served aboard the USS Donaldson, whose service included seven battle stars.
The Brewers’ shutout also marked a significant result for the club: Milwaukee became the first MLB team to record multiple shutout victories of at least 20 runs in one season, following a 22-0 win over Seattle on Aug. 18, according to the article’s cited BVM Sports and DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.
