Thank You, Veterans

The 53-year-old Kearns, who grew up in Boulder Hill in Kendall County and is a 1989 Oswego High School graduate, is a lieutenant at the Oswego Fire Protection District, which serves the communities of Oswego, Montgomery, Yorkville and Plainfield.

Read Kendall County area thank you letters in honor of our Veterans

Mike Melcher of Yorkville is an Iraq War combat veteran whose military experience helped provide him with the foundation for future success serving his community.

Nancy Judge started her career in the U.S. Air Force loading nuclear weapons onto B-1B bombers and finished with the service’s highest enlisted rank of command chief master sergeant.

Now retired after a long and impressive career in the Air Force and Army Reserve as well as civilian employment, Lake, who has traveled all over the world, made the short move from Sandwich to Plano where he’s now making the most of his golden years today.

Loren Monsess was just 19 he was drafted in 1969.

Since statehood, and even before, Illinois has been well-represented in American wars. In many cases, Illinois was among national leaders in the number of men and women supplied to the service.

Just in time for Veterans Day, Illinois Joining Forces is launching an effort to connect veterans with services they may need.The effort is called Operation Connect a Vet.