Suburban guests at Obama's speech welcome mention of addiction
Mark Filler of Highland Park felt conflicting emotions as he sat down in the U.S. Capitol to watch the State of the Union address Tuesday night.
The longtime politics junkie from Highland Park says he was awed by the chance to be in the room for the annual speech and watch moments like the Supreme Court justices walking into the House chamber quietly.
But Tuesday was the two-year anniversary of the death of his son, Jordan, from a heroin overdose, and Filler's advocacy is why Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk of Highland Park invited him to be there, getting a chance before the event to talk with other senators about the issue.
President Barack Obama made reference to addiction in the third paragraph of the speech, something that caught the ear of Naperville's Tim Ryan, too.
"I thought it was just phenomenal to hear it right out of the gate," said Ryan, an anti-heroin advocate and guest of Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville.
They were two of the many guests hand-picked by members of Congress to take in the speech live Tuesday. Lawmakers often pick guests based on issues they want to highlight.
"So I hope we can work together this year on some bipartisan priorities like criminal justice reform, and helping ... people who are battling prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse," Obama said in the speech.
Filler said the senators he talked to all knew about the issue.
"I would give it all back just to have another day with my son," Filler said.
Among the other guests were Lavelle Brown, a Zion-Benton High School alumnus and graduate of the YouthBuild Lake County program who said he'd never thought he'd be in a position to go to the State of the Union address. He was invited by U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, a Kenilworth Republican.
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates invited a pair of military veterans
Loretta Coleman, an Air Force veteran and AmeriCorps member, said she listened closely when Obama discussed the importance of citizens serving each other.
"I believe in a life of service and it felt like he was speaking more or less directly to me," Coleman said.
Buffalo Grove native Major Gerry Sharp, director of the Warrior and Family Coordination Cell at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, said it was great news that when Durbin asked him for a wounded veteran at the hospital from Illinois, one was hard to find.
"By the grace of God, we have fewer and fewer wounded warriors," he said.