Hanover Park officials honor vets here and in Iraq

From planning to erect a memorial to preserving a snapshot that captures the village’s connection to the Iraq War, Hanover Park is coming up with some interesting ways to pay tribute to residents who’ve served in the military.

This week, the village officially unveiled a commemorative American flag, which features the names of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, signed by Hanover Park staff and elected officials.

The village bought the flag a few months ago and Staff Sgt. Adam Smith, a Hanover Park resident in the 1244th Transportation Co. of the Illinois Army National Guard, took it with him on his latest deployment to Iraq. He sent back photos of him and his fellow soldiers with the flag in Baghdad.

“It’s certainly a flag of significance for our country, for those who serve and for the people of Hanover Park and those who work for this marvelous village,” said Mayor Rod Craig, a U.S. Navy veteran. “I couldn’t be more proud.”

Standing with Smith in the photo is soldier Alexis Millan, a Hanover Park resident and coincidentally a relative of new Deputy Village Clerk Josie Avilez. Both Smith’s and Millan’s parents were recognized at Thursday’s village board meeting.

The photo and flag will be displayed inside Hanover Park’s village hall.

On another front, Trustee Rick Roberts and the veterans committee are leading an effort to build a memorial near the entrance to the municipal building. Roberts recently met with architects to discuss plans, and the committee will begin brainstorming how to go about fundraising.

“There are a lot of veterans in Hanover Park,” said Roberts, also a Navy veteran. “We’d like something to honor all that have served, and maybe it can be a place families come to.”

In the meantime, the village continues recognizing veterans by inviting them to board meetings and engraving their names on a plaque made by Trustee Jon Kunkel. About 80 names have been added to it since 2009.

Officials also said they want to recognize Hanover Park police officer Tim McNulty, who’s currently deployed to Afghanistan. An American flag is being sent to him, and Roberts said the hope is that it will be flown there, and then fly in front of the new police station upon its completion.

“We just want to say thank you for your service,” Roberts said. “Veterans are very humble, but I think they appreciate it.”