Skokie Resident Producing Concert for 10,000 Veterans

A self-described military brat, Skokie resident Lynn Orman Weiss spent her childhood visiting the Great Lakes Naval Air Station and Glenview Naval Air Station. Now she’s preparing to entertain 10,000 veterans at the Fourth Annual Illinois Warrior Summit and Welcome Home Concert on Tuesday at Soldier Field.

“Most of the concerts I do have a mission behind them,” Orman Weiss said. “It felt like I was doing it in honor of my father, who was a chief petty officer in the Navy.”

Orman Weiss worked on a smaller Warrior Summit last year with her partner Fran Allen Leake, who is the daughter of a Marine. The event drew 4,000 veterans, bringing in everyone from World War II veterans to soldiers who had just returned from Iraq or Afghanistan.

“Music has affected each of these groups the same way,” Orman Weiss said. “It’s been something that can change the moment. It changes the mood. It changes their level of stress. It reaches out to people.”

This year’s event features nine hours of music, including performances from The Color Three, Liz Mandeville, Wayne Baker Brooks, Rockie Lynne and Voice of Veterans. Many of the musicians have military connections.

Mandeville performs songs she wrote while her husband was serving in the Illinois National Guard. Rockie Lynne served as an Army paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Voice of Veterans is a rock group started by Vietnam War veterans who got together at the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) unit at the Chicago Veteran Administration hospital.

“We try to get people with PTSD to get out of their shells,” said Joe Klass, guitar player and lead vocalist for Voice of Veterans. “It’s a big opportunity for us to play. We just do it for the love of playing the songs and trying to get to the vets.”

The music is only a small part of the offerings. Rob Malnik, president of Support All Veterans Equally Foundation and creator of the Illinois Warrior Summit, said he had a huge outpouring of support from sponsors. The Chicago Park District donated 1,500 free parking spots, and Gatorade contributed nine pallets of bottles.  

Use of Soldier Field was free, and local sports teams donated 6,700 tickets to be given away to veterans, including 2,000 White Sox tickets and 500 Cubs tickets. There will be 5,000 free meals given away.

Families are encouraged to come together to enjoy the giant slides, rock walls, moon bounces, face painting and other kids’ entertainment.

The primary goal of the event is to provide a one-stop shop where veterans can receive information on benefits, employment and other resources. Veterans attending the summit will have access to 100 nonprofit organizations that provide free services to veterans, 70 employers looking to hire veterans within the next month and 50 Veterans Affairs service stations doing on-site registration for dentistry, physicals and other services.

“We’re bringing everyone to the table to unite the community to work together as one,” Malnik said. “It’s just amazing how everything came together.”

Orman Weiss said working with the Illinois Warrior Summit has been incredibly fun and rewarding.

“I think the most important thing that I learned, other than sleep is overrated, is that when you have something that is this important--to celebrate the welcoming home of veterans--people are willing to come out and work together,” she said. “They want to support you.”