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Praise for towns that respect sacrifice

Today we once again mourn the loss of another Illinoisan in the service of his country. I would like to offer my personal condolences to the family of Cpl. Martinez, and also to all the other Illinois families who have lost a loved one in the service of our country.

Secondly, I want to express my gratitude to those communities and civil authorities that have followed the Office of the Governor’s directive to lower flags at public buildings on the day of a fallen soldier’s funeral. Specifically, I want to recognize the Village of Mundelein, Hawthorn Elementary District 73, Countryside Fire Protection District, and my own Village of Vernon Hills that have been meeting the call of the Governor’s Office to recognize the supreme sacrifice given by these young people, by this simple act of reverence.

In Vernon Hills, our village staff goes to the additional effort of removing the other flags from adjacent poles and flying only the U.S. flag with the Illinois flag below, at half staff, to recognize that this is a special action honoring the memory of a fallen Illinois service member.

For those adjoining communities that are not following this directive, I hope by shedding this additional light, they will join in, making this tribute a standard practice within their community, and hopefully this tribute will be necessary only on the rare occasion.

James Schultz, Village Trustee

Vernon Hills

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