Oregon students given flag in remembrance of dad's sacrifice

OREGON – Two Oregon Elementary students received a meaningful keepsake when Frontier Communications employees came to school to present them with an Honor and Remember Flag for the loss of their father and stepfather.

Fallon Speilman, 8, and Toryn Cain, 6, the children of Bridget Peterson of Oregon, were presented with the flag, a certificate, and several letters in recognition of the sacrifice made by Illinois National Guard Spc. Norman Cain III of Mount Morris.

Cain was 22 when he and two other soldiers died in a roadside bomb explosion March 15, 2009, near their vehicle in Kot, Afghanistan.

All three were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team out of Woodstock.

Toryn was only a year old when his father died, and Fallon was 3.

Mike Brodzik, who serves on Frontier Communications’ National Veterans Committee, said the company plans to present Honor and Remember Flags to youngsters who have lost a parent in war in schools through their service area.

The Honor and Remember Flag was created to serve as a national symbol that specifically acknowledges the sacrifice of men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces who have given their lives for their country in more than two centuries of America’s history.

At Friday’s ceremony, an honor guard stood by, holding American flags. Other family members who attended included Cain’s father, Norman Cain Jr., his mother, Lisa Otto, and grandmother, Joann Cain.

Toryn’s and Fallon’s classmates also attended.

“We’re all here today to recognize tha the significant sacrifice Norman Cain made to our country,” said state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon. “That sacrifice lives on today.”

Letters were read from state Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger and U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk.