Village of Tinley Park Veterans Commission
PRESENTS 2020 VETERANS DAY CEREMONY GENERAL PATRICK E. REA VETERANS PLAZA 80th Avenue Train Station 10:55 A.M. November 11, 2020 Master of Ceremonies Dr. W. Douglas Rasmussen III, D.C., Veterans Commission Chair National Anthem | Rifle Salute | Raise Colors PRESENTATION OF COLORS American Legion Post 615, VFW Post 2791 and Marine Corps League Kevin Clarke Detachment 1217 Pledge of Allegiance Welcoming Remarks The Honorable Mayor Jacob C. Vandenberg, Mayor of Tinley Park INVOCATION Tim Keating, Chaplain, American Legion Post 615 Virtual Walk Through The ‘Potrait of a Soldier’ Exhibit Mr. William Morgan from the Governors office Plaza Brick Walkway Honorees Chris Hansley, V.F.W. Post 2791 Auxillary President Presentation of Artwork to Music Department of Victor J. Andrew High School Chairman Rasmussen Presentation of the Colonel David Seaman Recognition Award Chairman Rasmussen GUEST SPEAKER The Honorable Pat Quinn, former Governor of the State of Illinois BENEDICTION Tim Keating, Chaplain, American Legion Post 615 Music By Victor J. Andrew High School Band Members
Pat Quinn Center for Democracy Portrait of a Soldier Exhibit Background Portrait of a Soldier is a unique memorial which honors Illinois soldiers who have been killed in the line of duty since September 11, 2001. The memorial is comprised of graphite portraits drawn by artist Cameron Schilling of Mattoon, Illinois. The project began when Schilling drew a portrait of fellow Mattoon resident U.S. Army Spc. Charles Neely after Neely lost his life in Iraq. Schilling, then a student at Eastern Illinois University, committed himself to drawing a portrait of every Illinois service member killed in the Global War on Terror. Each portrait is carefully done in Schilling’s evocative style. His efforts caught the eye of then-Lt. Gov. Quinn, who established the Portrait of a Soldier memorial in 2004. Over the next decade, Lieutenant Governor and later Governor Quinn and took the memorial to numerous venues across the state for the people of Illinois to remember -- and never forget -- true American heroes.
Continuing the Legacy Since leaving the Governor’s Office, Pat Quinn has continued in his efforts to ensure we never forget the brave men and women of IL and their sacrifice for their country. The Portrait of a Soldier art exhibit is a mobile wall with portraits of nearly 300 Illinois service members who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. The exhibit is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice of these young men and women. Governor Quinn continues to share the Portrait of a Soldier exhibit throughout Illinois. Most recently the exhibit has been shared on a temporary basis with University of Chicago students, Loyola University students, Rush Presbyterian Hospital’s Road Home program and the community of Winnetka.
For more Information, contact: Pat Quinn ltg.patquinn@gmail.com 312/485-1852
Media Coverage https://news.uchicago.edu/story/uchicago-hosts-art-exhibit-honoring-illinoismilitary-members-killed-combat “Memorial Day is a day to never forget all of those who gave their last full measure of devotion to our democracy,” said Quinn, alluding to President Abraham Lincoln’s sentiment delivered in “The Gettysburg Address.” Quinn encouraged visitors to take the opportunity to explore the portraits and see each of the men and women depicted, “to look into the eyes of the service members” and “see their soul.” http://loyolaphoenix.com/2016/09/governor-quinn-remembers-illinois-fallen-in -damen/ Cameron Schilling, the artist behind the nearly 300 individual portraits, spoke with humility about his simplistic yet significant project. “I think there is one debt that we can repay [to the soldiers], … the duty to honor their memory,” said Schilling. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/winnetka/news/ct-wtk-veterans-day -community-house-tl-1115-story.html “Hero is a word that is bandied round rather carelessly,” Quinn said, before gesturing to banners displayed around the room, with portraits of Illinois military men and women who died in service. “The men and women in these pictures are the real heroes.” http://www.columbiachronicle.com/campus/article_1af5ac9e-9990-11e7-b0b0-3 bd508da3c9a.html "It’s important to have a memorial of our Illinois service members that will last long after we’re gone," Quinn said. "One-hundred years from now, people will still see 'Portrait of a Soldier,' from our time. We won’t be here, but these pictures will be lasting reminders of our time and our special heroes."
Pat Quinn Biography Pat Quinn served as the 41st Governor of Illinois from Jan. 29, 2009 to Jan. 12, 2015. Throughout his career, which includes service as Lieutenant Governor and Treasurer, Governor Quinn has been committed to Illinois veterans, service members and their families. In 2011, when our soldiers began returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Governor Quinn launched the Welcome Home Heroes program to help these brave men and women resettle with their families and become homeowners. More 1,600 veterans and active military men and women purchased their first home through Welcome Home Heroes while Quinn was Governor. Governor Quinn’s administration has also worked hard over the past five years to provide more housing opportunities for our servicemen and women. In 2009, Governor Quinn became the first Governor in Illinois history to dedicate state capital dollars to supportive housing for veterans. The state has created more than 1,000 units of affordable housing for veterans across Illinois while he was Governor. As Lieutenant Governor, Quinn championed the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund Act, which established a fund to provide grants to families of Illinois National Guard members and Illinois residents serving in the U.S. Armed Forces Reserve components who were called to active duty as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. These grants help service members and their families with the costs of food, housing, utilities, medical services and other expenses they struggle to afford because a wage-earner has temporarily left civilian employment to be placed on active military duty. The fund distributed more than $15 million to more than 29,000 Illinois military families to assist with the financial burden at home when a loved one is deployed overseas. Other programs championed by Governor Quinn include the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program that helps veterans transition back to their daily lives and the Veterans Cash instant lottery program where all proceeds go to benefit Illinois veterans’ organizations. From when the Governor first launched the program in 2006 to leaving office in 2015, Veterans Cash had awarded more than $11 million in grants to more than 210 veterans’ organizations statewide. He also launched Operation Hero Miles, which uses donated frequent flyer miles to provide free round-trip airline tickets to military families flying to visit a service
member receiving medical treatment. The program also enables wounded or ill service members with approved leave to fly home at no cost. To date, Operation Hero Miles has issued more than 40,000 donated tickets, saving service members and their families nearly $63 million. In 2004, Governor Quinn established the “Portrait of a Soldier� memorial exhibit to honor fallen Illinois service members. The series of portraits began when artist Cameron Schilling of Mattoon drew the first portrait of Army Spc. Charles Neeley, also of Mattoon, after Neeley was killed in Iraq. Schilling, a student at Eastern Illinois University at the time, committed to drawing a portrait of every Illinois service member who has fallen during the Global War on Terror. The exhibit features a series of hand-drawn portraits of nearly all of the 326 Illinois men and women who have died while serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. In 2012, the Governor proposed in his State of the State address and signed into law the Hiring Veterans Tax Credit. The law provides a significant additional tax credit to businesses who hire unemployed veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, to both help businesses create jobs and give those jobs to the people who have sacrificed so much for our state and country. Quinn has served the people of Illinois for more than 40 years as both a citizen and a public official. He has organized grassroots petition drives signed by more than 4 million voters, walked across the state in support of decent health care for all, and proposed historic tax reform for working families. In the 1980s, he spearheaded the creation of the Citizens Utility Board, the first-of-its-kind consumer group that is now the largest in the state. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2002 and reelected in 2006, serving until his succession as Governor in January 2009, and served as State Treasurer from 1991 to 1995. He also served as commissioner of the Cook County Board of (Property) Tax Appeals and as revenue director for the City of Chicago. Quinn was born in Chicago and raised in Hinsdale. He graduated from Northwestern University School of Law and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He is the father of two sons.
Mark D. Iwinski Biography Mark D. Iwinski has been the director of bands at Victor J. Andrew High School since 2010. He is the third director since the opening of Andrew High School in 1977. In addition to conducting three concert bands and percussion ensemble, his instructional roles include overseeing the Marching Thunderbolts, Pep Band, Jazz Ensembles and conductor of the Pit Orchestra. Prior to his appointment at Andrew high school, Mr. Iwinski served as director of bands at Lincoln Middle School in Schiller Park, Illinois. Mr. Iwinski graduated from Illinois State University in 2007, where he earned his Bachelors of Music Education degree, graduating on the Dean’s List. Additional education includes a Masters of Music in Education degree at VanderCook College of Music, conferred in July of 2017. Mr. Iwinski has received four Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association and was a 2019 recipient of the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award. He has served as an adjudicator for various band festivals and solo/ensemble contests across the state of Illinois and has been a clinician to schools in the Chicago area. Professional memberships include the National Association for Music Education and the National Band Association.