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Marine recruit from Vernon Hills gets big send-off

A Vernon Hills teenager who has enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps got a star-spangled send-off to boot camp this week.

When Matt Hart headed to the Marine recruiting station in Waukegan on Sunday, he was escorted out of his neighborhood by representatives from American Legion Post 1247, the Vernon Hills Police Department and the Countryside Fire Protection District.

The American Legion unit led the way on foot, displaying the flags of their group, the U.S., the Marine Corps, and the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.

Hart, 18, will undergo basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. He recently graduated from Vernon Hills High School.

He's joining his brother, Steven, in the Marines. Steven Hart received a similar escort a year ago and also went through basic training in San Diego.

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