Memorial Day 2026: Suburban communities honor soldiers’ ultimate sacrifice
“Live a life worthy of their sacrifice.”
Addressing attendees at the Arlington Heights Memorial Day ceremony, retired Vietnam War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Allen J. Lynch proclaimed that is the proper way to honor the village’s 68 servicemen who died in conflicts dating from the Civil War through Operation Enduring Freedom.
Heralding the “conspicuous gallantry” of service members who gave all for their country, Lynch reminded several hundred onlookers — including veterans and dozens of Great Lakes Naval Station recruits — that every person who puts on the nation’s uniform takes the same vow as the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence to “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
Soldiers fought, bled and died for the U.S. Constitution, he said, and “it is still worth fighting for and dying for.”
Lynch was among several speakers at the village’s 107th commemorative service in Memorial Park. Established in 1883 to commemorate veterans’ service and sacrifice, its central plaza includes a 15-foot bronze eternal flame sculpture by Fran Volz surrounded by veterans’ commemorative bricks.
“’Happy’ is not the proper word for today,” said Stewart Abbink, commander of Arlington VFW Post 981. “Somber, mournful, sad is more appropriate.”
“Today is the day we honor those who have paid the ultimate price,” he said. “Let’s hope none of us here today have to pay that price.”
Mayor Jim Tinaglia praised the fallen, who he said possessed the “highest echelon of character.”
“The debt we owe them can never truly be repaid, only honored and remembered,” he said. “Let us reflect on their bravery and the future they gave up so we can live in freedom today.”
Speaking on behalf of Gold Star families, Katie Stack, whose husband, USMC Lance Corporal James Bray Stack, 20, was killed in Afghanistan on Nov. 10, 2010, reminded observers that at “every Gold Star family’s house, there is an empty seat at the dinner table. There is a laugh and love that is missing. There is a hole that will never be filled.”
“On Memorial Day, my one request is this,” she said. “When you view the names and faces of these fallen men and women at Memorial Park in Arlington Heights or at a memorial near you, I challenge you to approach with a heart of recognition and gratitude and say, ‘thank you.’”
Veterans who attended the service expressed gratitude for the sacrifice of their countrymen.
“Those who have paid the ultimate price deserve it,” said Vietnam Veteran Michael Ryan, 79, of Arlington Heights. “All of us should be honored to give them honor.”
Elsewhere, more than 100 people visited the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Memorial at Naperville’s city hall early Monday, then moved on to the Naperville Cemetery, Veterans Park and other locations.
Each stop included an invocation, the posting of colors by a joint VFW and American Legion color guard, a rifle salute by a combined honor guard and the laying of a wreath with help from a Gold Star family.
U.S. Army Reserve Col. Tim Plackett of Naperville was among the attendees. A trauma surgeon, Plackett has served for 23 years.
“I stick around to decrease the number of names we have to read at events like this,” he said.
In Schaumburg, the Spring Valley Concert Band entertained hundreds of people with patriotic music before the annual observance. The event commenced with the raising of the American flag, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, posting of colors and a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Organizers read more than 80 names of deceased soldiers, including that of late U.S. Marine Corps veteran Arthur Smagala. Holding a photo of him, his daughter Diane attended in his honor.
“It was so special hearing his name,” she said.
• Daily Herald writer/photographer Rick West contributed to this report.