Flag has special meaning for mom on Veterans Day

The most emotional moment at the College of Lake County's annual Veterans Day event came 10 minutes after the ceremony ended.

Walking arm-in-arm against a cold, west wind, U.S. Army Sgt. Andre Negron and his mother, Rose Sajuan, paused in front of the new CLC veterans memorial. Her head resting on her son's shoulder, Sajuan looked up at the wind-whipped American flag as tears welled in Negron's eyes.

The flag holds a special place in his mother's heart. It's flying on a pole in Grayslake now, but it originated 6,500 miles away in Iraq where Negron was deployed. As a way to esteem his mom, he bought the flag and had it raised at the Syverson Base during his last tour there.

"I wanted to honor my mother for her support and dedication for my military service," Negron said Friday. "She has been a tremendous source of strength for both myself and my brother."

It's been about a year since mother and son have seen each other. Negron, 31, made a surprise visit to Sajuan's office Thursday morning from his base at Fort Campbell, KY. She is a secretary at CLC's Lake Shore Campus. "I was so shocked, but so happy to see him," she said. "I'm so proud of both of my boys." Sajuan's other son Michael, 35, is also in the Army. The family is from Waukegan.

This was the first official ceremony in front of the new memorial at CLC. Three years in the making, it features the seals of all five branches of the military, three flag poles, and 3,000 engraved bricks honoring servicemen. A life-size bronze sculpture by Libertyville artist Cindy Seng will eventually be added.

Negron will return to Iraq in December for another tour of duty. Having two sons in active military service would be enough to keep any parent up at night. Sajuan says her faith gets her through the days and long nights.

"It is scary, but I'm a 12-year cancer survivor," she said. "God has helped me through that. And it's God who gives me the strength to not worry too much about the boys. I have to trust him."