Efforts to rename Elgin post office, street after fallen Marine
Efforts are underway to honorarily rename the U.S. post office and a street block in Elgin after Marine Cpl. Alex Martinez, the first and only service person from Elgin who died in combat operations since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Schaumburg, filed a bill in March to rename the post office downtown.
The initiative to rename the 200 block of Melrose Avenue in Elgin, where Martinez grew up, was spearheaded by resident Anthony Ortiz, who knew Martinez from their school days and last week submitted to the city council a petition with more than 40 signatures.
Alex Martinez's family members said they are glad people want to remember his life and sacrifice. His widow, Julianna Martinez, said the family had long hoped for an honorary street sign, and the post office initiative was a welcome surprise.
"It's a good thing they are trying to do," she said.
His mother, Socorro Bethke, agreed. "He left a deep mark," she said.
A valiant soldier
Martinez was 21 when he died April 5, 2012, during combat operations in the Helmand province in Afghanistan. His funeral was attended by more than 400 people, including then-Gov. Pat Quinn.
Martinez, assigned to the 1st Combat Engineering Battalion, 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton, California, took part in more than 16 combat patrols and cleared more than 80 kilometers of passage lanes for Marines, according to military documents shared by his family. He was killed by an improvised explosive device, or IED, and his awards include a Purple Heart medal and a Navy and Marine Corps achievement medal with combat "V" for valor.
"Despite adjacent units receiving enemy fire, he continued to calmly and systematically clear lanes for Marines to maneuver against the enemy," the documents state. "Corporal Martinez's exceptional professionalism, unrelenting perseverance and loyal devotion to duty reflected credit upon him and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."
Martinez's service deserves to be honored, Krishnamoorthi said this week.
"This post office renaming is an opportunity to honor the life and memory of a valiant soldier and at the same time honor the service of all of our veterans, and the people, the men and women who are currently in the armed forces."
Krishnamoorthi learned about Martinez while looking into the service of Elgin veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his office got permission from Julianna Martinez to move forward with the renaming, his communications director said.
Krishnamoorthi said he expects Congress to approve the bill, which has bipartisan support from the entire Illinois delegation, but the process can be lengthy. HR 1844 was referred to the House committee on oversight and reform March 21 and no action has been taken.
Renaming Melrose Avenue should be a "no-brainer," Ortiz told the Elgin City Council on April 24. Ortiz, who also served in the Marine Corps, attended Abbott Middle School and Larkin High School with Martinez.
"Cpl. Martinez is someone the city of Elgin should be extremely proud to call an Elgin native," Ortiz said. "We need to honor Alex as he honored us and represented our city in the most heroic and professional way possible."
Councilman Corey Dixon wrote a letter in support of the street renaming, and the petition was signed by Councilwoman Rose Martinez (no relation), Councilman-elect Baldemar Lopez and Elgin Township Trustee Jose Villalobos.
Keeping name alive
Socorro Bethke and her husband, Jim, who raised Alex since he was a boy, built a memorial in their front yard along Melrose Street. That's where Alex rode his bike, walked to school and later ran his daily 4 miles, they said.
He had talked about joining the service since he was 5 - he loved to play with green Army men - and pushed for his mother's permission to enlist before he turned 18, his parents recalled. He graduated early and married his high school sweetheart before being deployed.
The Bethkes' house is filled with portraits and photos of Alex, and a blanket with images of him lies on a couch. His mother wears a gold pendant with his image.
It's important to keep his name alive, Jim Bethke said. "Sometimes people don't like to say nothing to us because it's going to upset us or something," he said. "But she (his mother) likes to hear his name."
"If I could look out the window and see his name ..." Socorro Bethke said, her voice faltering.
Alex Martinez also left behind an older sister, Jenny Martinez of Palatine, and two half-siblings, James, 23 and Eileen, 20, of Elgin. His older sister, who was pregnant when he died, named her daughter Alex. His widow had a baby girl in August and named her Alessandra.
Even though it's been seven years and she now has a boyfriend, each anniversary hits her hard, Julianna Martinez said. "Reliving everything, remembering everything ... " she said. "Everything is so fresh."