Spirit of ’45 hopes to identify McHenry-area military veterans in WWII photos

On one panel of World War II-era veteran photographs, Ruthie Granger found a photograph of her aunt, a nurse.

On the other panel displayed Sunday at the Keep the Spirit of ‘45 Alive event in McHenry is a photo of her uncle. According to family lore, the uncle was injured and was treated by his sister during the war, Granger said.

[ Photos: Veterans honored at Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive in McHenry ]

The two panels of historic photos once hung at the Mi-Place Restaurant and Tavern in McHenry. When the restaurant closed, the panels were relocated to a family member’s basement. They were recently donated to the McHenry VFW Post 4600.

The panels aren’t quite ready for their new home, Ron Reber said. He is a VFW member and one of the Spirit of ‘45 event organizers. For now, the photos are going back to his house.

“It is deciding where the commander wants to put them. Not in a corner,” Reber said.

The next question may be doing an inventory of who is in the photos, Granger said.

Most of the photos have a name and a date written on them. It’s believed the owners of Mi-Place invited McHenry residents to bring in photos of their loved ones serving in the military, Granger said. “McHenry was 2,200 people back then.”

Keep the Spirit of ‘45 Alive organizers hope current residents may still know the names of those pictured in the snapshots, so volunteers can do an inventory, she said.