With heroism and desperation hanging in the minds of veterans, a local resident is hoping his war memorabilia will prompt former servicemen and women to share their stories.

David Hilpp, Riverside resident, has filled the display cabinet near the entrance of the Riverside Public Library with propaganda posters, a metal-covered Bible, patches, insignia, money, canteens and photos from World War II. The explanation in the case reads: “This is a special tribute to our fighting Marines who serviced and sacrificed for us during World War II.”

“I was about 6 or 7 years old when I started collecting,” Hilpp said. “I would play soldiers with my friends, and I wanted to look like a soldier.”

Later, Hilpp began reading about wars and became fascinated by them and the stories he heard from veterans. He felt a display of items for remembrance would be appropriate for Veterans Day in November.

Army veteran of World War II George Havelka, 86, of Stickney, came out to view the display and share some of his stories on Veterans Day.

 Havelka was not immediately accepted into the military because he had poor vision in his right eye. Officials told him to wait until the draft and 20 days after D-day he landed in Northern France.

“I was 20 years old when I got in there, all this time I wanted to get in there,” Havelka said. “(I used to think) the war will be over before I get in.”

The memory Havelka shared was when he was in the Hurtgen Forest in Germany — which was the site of one of the bloodiest battles. He said he was in the thick forest and the enemy set their shells to explode on contact, which meant they would hit the top of trees and burst. Havelka said a shower of shrapnel would rain down and he could hear it pass by him.

“The thing was, hug a tree,” Havelka said. “You could tell when it would come and hit, you could hear the artillery and know what it was.”

Havelka made a noise that sounded like a rolling of the tongue to share what shrapnel sounded like.

“That thing went off, and I thought what the hell am I doing there,” Havelka said.

As a few more stories were shared, Havelka explained how he still has a set of silverware he ‘liberated’ from a home in Germany.

“The set of silverware is just knives and forks, I think it was a set of over a dozen, and I split it with someone,” Havelka said. “I must have eight or 10.”

Liberating items, as Havelka called it, from areas was very common among soldiers. They would find something they wanted to bring back home with them and keep for memories. Hilpp said that is how he has found some of his items, which now might have ended up in garage sales.

The display created by Hilpp is on display at the library, 1 Burling Road, for the month of November in honor of Veterans Day.