Liberty Gala 2023

After studying physical therapy at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Michigan, Bette Horstman joined the army in 1944. Her first assignment as a 1st Lieutenant was treating prisoners of war at Tripler General Hospital in Oahu. After her military service, she worked as a physical therapist for a suburban Chicago hospital and started her own physical therapy practice. She is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Niles Memorial Post 3579 (Past Commander), the American Legion Post 134 in Morton Grove, and the Morton Grove Moose Lodge.

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Martin spent 38 years in the U.S. Army, supporting military operations at home and abroad. Upon retirement, she pursued volunteer opportunities in a host of non-profit organizations that aligned with her personal mission to serve the active duty and military community, including the USO, Wreaths Across America, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Friends of the Army Women’s Museum, the United States Army Chief Warrant Officers Association, the Women’s Overseas Service League, Daughters of the American Revolution, and American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.

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A 29-year veteran of the United States Air Force (USAF), Brigadier General Wilma Vaught was the first woman to operationally deploy with a Strategic Air Command Bomb Wing. Promoted to Brigadier General in 1980, Vaught was the first and only military woman to achieve that rank in the comptroller career field in more than 2 decades. After retiring in 1985, she became the first president of the Women In Military Service For America (WIMSA) Memorial Foundation and was the driving force behind the establishment of the Military Women’s Memorial, the nation’s only major memorial to honor the service of all military women.

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The Citizen Soldier Award, established in 2020, is presented annually at the Liberty Gala. 

The 2022 Liberty Gala theme was "Honoring strength through diversity" and it was announced that the Pritzker Military Museum & Library has received “conditional” public charity status.

The 2021 Liberty Gala honored the achievements of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and the service of Citizen Soldiers, particularly those who served during the Cold War. Watch now!

In 2020, due to the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, we hosted our very first virtual Liberty Gala. This event was a mix of live and recorded content that highlighted not only the accomplishments in the past year, but also the importance of our mission. Watch now!