GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Across our country, people will be observing Veterans Day on Saturday, and one event happening at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids will give people the opportunity to hear stories directly from some of our nation's heroes who hail form Michigan.
The hotel will play host to "Heroes Next Door," an event organized by the Michigan Heroes Museum. It will be the first time the museum has hosted such an event on this side of the state. The program is being held from 6 to 9 p.m. and will include some accomplished speakers.
"It will feature James McCloughan, a Medal of Honor recipient from right here in West Michigan. [He is} celebrated amongst the Medal of Honor community as their leader in the nation right now," said Brain Hauenstein who serves on the board of directors for the museum and as chair for the event.
"Additionally, we have Greg "Box" Johnson who was an astronaut. He actually put the last piece of the International Space Space Station in place. He is from Traverse City and is coming down to spend some time with us and tell us his story. These are just amazing people. It's going to be an amazing event."
Heroes Next Door is nearly sold out but Hauenstein said there are a few more tickets left. If you'd like to attend you can do so on the museum's website.
The proceeds from the event will benefit the museum and its programming. Hauenstein's own grandfather Col. Ralph Hauenstein's artifacts were on display for a couple of years, and he says it means a lot to keep the memories of heroes and their sacrifices alive.
"It means everything for me. I visualize many trunks in basements of homes all across the state of Michigan, where the stories are forgotten, never told, covered with dust," he said.
"It's so important to pull those out when we remember them. Let the Michigan Heroes Museum do the research and verify those facts and keep those stories preserved for our next generations."
If you can't make the event but still want to support the museum you can make a donation through their website. You can also make a visit to Frankenmuth to see it.
"It's just two hours from Grand Rapids. Make a day of it. Many people go to Bronner's. Many people like their chicken dinner from Zehnders, right? Fit that museum visit in. You will not be disappointed," Hauenstein said.
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