Military past and present was his passion

A solemn military procession made its way Sunday toward Fort Sheridan Cemetery, with a horse-drawn caisson carrying the body of 21-year-old Navy Seaman Jeremy Alvarado of Rolling Meadows.

The procession began with Naval personnel marching behind the caisson, but soon drew members of his Civil War re-enactment group, and Boy Scout Troop 96 to join in, as well as his older brother Army Pvt. Joshua Alvarado.

"It was amazing to look back to see how many cars there were, and how many people braved the cold to march in that procession," said his father, Jessie Alvarado.

Nearly two years ago, after marching in a Rolling Meadows Memorial Day parade with the Civil War re-enactment group he participated in, Jeremy Alvarado told his parents he wanted to enlist in the Navy.

"He was so moved by the speakers that he felt compelled," his father adds. "It was something he wanted to do, something he felt that he needed to do."

However, it turned out to be harder than he thought. Mr. Alvarado had to lose more than 30 pounds to meet the physical requirements, which he worked at for nearly a year before he was able to sign his contract in October.

Mr. Alvarado had hoped to become a culinary specialist on a submarine in the Navy, and he had been planning to continue his secondary education in that field after completing basic training in December at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

However, a medical leave sidelined his plans, and during a trip to the infirmary last week, he collapsed and hit his head, suffering blunt trauma to his brain. Further autopsy results are pending, his parents said.

His career in the military would have culminated his many interests, his parents added, including his love of helping people.

From the time he was a child and worked as a paperboy for the Daily Herald, Mr. Alvarado had worked in the service industry. Later jobs would include working at Whole Foods in Palatine, where he first discovered his interest in the culinary arts.

Mr. Alvarado had participated in Boy Scout Troop 96 since he was 11. Most recently he had served as an assistant Scoutmaster with the troop -- his mother, Maggie, is their Scoutmaster -- and on Monday, troop officials brought in grief counselors to meet with the Scouts.

"The boys all looked up to him," says Karen Gill, one of the troop leaders.

A friend in Scouting introduced him to Civil War re-enacting, which drew him to encampments on many weekends. Mr. Alvarado portrayed a Confederate private with the 13th Tennessee regiment.

Another of his interests was martial arts, and particularly Kyoto Gumdo or Korean Swordsmanship, in which he earned his first degree black belt. He later taught students at the J.P. Woods Martial Arts Studio in Palatine.

Besides his parents, Mr. Alvarado is survived by his brothers Joshua (Alexa) and Marcus and his sister Natasha (Jesse Gonzalez).