War Stories

Jeanine Hill-Soldner’s passion for her work is unquestionable. Coming from a military family, she has always been close to the effects of war on families.

So then naturally the Algonquin artist captivated the attention of a roomful of people at the Algonquin library when she talked about her latest project,

She spent part of the discussion explaining her techniques and how she developed the project, but really, the discussion was a dedication to the amazing veterans featured in her work.

Take the story of Lt. Col. Chris O’Neill, for example. He is currently in active duty with the US Air Force, and his missions take him all over the world. At one point, O’Neill was stationed in Antarctica, and while there, he bought three stuffed penguins for each of his daughters back home in Crystal Lake.

When O’Neill decided to be a part of Hill-Soldner’s project, she asked him to bring a few pieces of memorabilia to comprise the foreground of the painting. Other than his weathered satchel, the only item O’Neill brought was a stuffed penguin, because, he said, it reminds him of his children and how much he thinks about them while he is away.

Then there is Allen Jakes, a Vietnam veteran who worked as an X-ray technician before being deployed. He willingly went to Vietnam and was the director of a medical clinic there, for he did not want to hurt anyone while he was there—he wanted to help those who were wounded.

Each of the veterans has an incredible story, and Hill-Soldner recounted the stories of all 17. Two veterans featured in her project were in attendance.

One, De Yip G. Louie, is a WWII veteran and wasn’t even a U.S. citizen when he was thrown into battle. His daughter, Francis Mai Ling, collaborates with Hill-Soldner, and she was on hand to share the story of her father.

Phillip Seyller, a Vietnam veteran, was also present at the discussion. Although he did not talk about his experience in-depth, he offered these words: “We all worked together over there. No matter what anyone said, we were all brothers, and we were all there to help.”

The attendees of the discussion were captivated by the stories Hill-Soldner told as she showed each of the veteran’s paintings in a slide show she had prepared. She had two of the portraits on hand for attendees to see close-up. Seven other portraits have been on display at the library since January.

At the end of the discussion, Hill-Soldner made a gentle plea for more compassion and patience with our veterans.

“We need to do a better job of welcoming home our heroes and our warriors,” she said. “A flag waving when they get home is not enough. They need a support system, and it is gradually happening,” she said, “but it’s a hard thing for families. It’s not easy.”