Illinois post office to be named for Marine killed in combat

PEKIN, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois post office will be renamed in honor of a local Marine who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.

The post office in Pekin will become the Lance Corporal Jordan S. Bastean Post Office.

Bastean was born and raised in Pekin and was a 2010 graduate of Pekin Community College. He told his father he wanted to join the Marines because "they were the toughest."

Bastean died during combat operations in Helmand Province.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos sponsored the legislation to rename the post office in his honor. She says Bastean is "a courageous American hero" and she hopes the designation "serves as an enduring reminder of his legacy and service to our nation."