Thank You, Veterans

Scott and Linda Burkitt felt something was missing – specifically a tribute to veterans – at their Dixon bar and last year decided to have a mural painted on one of the business’ doors to remind patrons of military members’ sacrifices.

As big-band music swells from speakers overhead, Erin Dietrich sits comfortably in a barber chair. It’s the same one she stands behind each day as she earns a living clipper-cutting those who walk through the door of her business, Patriot Barber Shop in downtown Oregon.

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.

The lower an American Legion post’s number is, the older it is. With 680 active posts in Illinois, Patrick Fegan American Legion Post No. 83 is one of the oldest.