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A very important part of We Do Care’s Freedom Festival is the opportunity for the Northern Illinois community to hear first-hand from the military. In between our entertainment acts we will have the opportunity to learn how important our support is to the troops in addition to an receiving updates on the war on terrorism, from the following military personnel. 2006 Family Freedom Festival speakers include:
Lieutenant General Victor E. Renuart JR.
Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, The Joint Staff
United States Air Force, Washington D.C.
 Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. is the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C. He serves as the principal immediate office adviser to the Secretary in all matters pertaining to the department. In addition to accompanying the Secretary on his travel and coordinating support to these trips, he serves as the Senior Military Liaison to the military services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the combatant commands. He also ensures timely execution of taskings as directed by the Secretary of Defense.
Prior to assuming his current position, the general served as director for Strategic Plans and Policy for the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C, Vice Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. He was responsible for Air Force and Air Component Command activities over half the globe in a command that supports 45,000 Air Force people serving principally in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Korea and Japan. Complete biography.
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Ryan Yantis
Pritzker Military Library Executive Director
9-11 Pentagon Survivor
 In a military career of over 22 years, Yantis served in a variety of command and staff positions in Europe, Asia and the United States, first as an Armor officer, and later as a Public Affairs Officer. He was present in the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks where he was later decorated for his actions in the hours following the attack.
Yantis retired from active duty this spring as the director of the U.S. Army Public Affairs-Midwest, an Army-level regional outreach office based in Chicago with a 12 state area of responsibility. The Pritzker Military Library in Chicago recently appointed Yantis executive director following a nation-wide selection process. Pritzker Military Library Announcement
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