The Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Squad said it is in desperate need of volunteers.

Since 2003, the all-volunteer Memorial Squad has provided honorably discharged veterans a military ceremonial burial service at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood at no charge for families who request it, according to Sharon Eck of Plainfield, who has been a Memorial Squad volunteer since 2016.

She also coordinates the annual golf outing fundraiser.

“Military honors consist of three rifle volleys, taps, and folding and presentation of the American Flag,” according to the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Squad website.

The Memorial Squad currently has 125 members, but most are in their 70s and 80s, one just turned 91, and many have health issues and limited mobility, Eck said.

Steve Schuler of Peotone, 77, told Shaw Local in 2025 that he was assisting funerals on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the cemetery in Elwood as part of two different memorial squads and the average age then of volunteers was 75 to 77.

“We’ve got some guys out there in their 90s,” Schuler, a U.S. Marine veteran, said in 2025. “We’ve got some guys really struggling with walking. But they come out there every week.”

Duties include proper flag folding and presentation as well as participating in the rifle squad, which includes following commands and assembling, cleaning, and reassembling – as well as safely firing – a M1 Garand rifle, according to the website.

Members must be able to walk to and from the committal shelters, perform minimal marching, carry the M1 throughout the 20-minute service and tolerate extreme heat and cold, since services are held year-round, according to the website.

Squad members are only required to volunteer one day a week, 26 out of 52 weeks in the year, Eck said.

However, Memorial Squad volunteers must be able to participate in up to 12 services daily, according to the website.

“We have some squad members who volunteer multiple days a week,” Eck said. “We have a lot of special events – like the Memorial Day celebration, which is a beautiful ceremony - so we do need people to volunteer for that. But those are optional."

Training for the Memorial Squad takes six to eight weeks, Eck said. And the uniform – minus boots and gloves – is fully provided to each volunteer, she added.

That’s why the Memorial Squad hosts the annual John Whiteside Memorial Golf Outing, which will be held this year on June 24 at Inwood Golf Course in Joliet.

Eck said donations and the golf fundraiser – the Memorial Squad’s only fundraiser – pay for the uniforms, which now cost $1,700 each.

Donations and fundraiser proceeds also go toward the maintenance, repair and ammunition for the rifles used during the ceremonies, she said.

Veterans and civilians may participate in the Memorial Squad.

“We all have a heart for veterans,” Eck said. “We all want to see them buried with respect and dignity. We’re so grateful for their service to our country. So it’s definitely something we want to keep doing.”

To volunteer and for more information, call 815-474-0321 or visit abrahamlincolnmemorialsquad.org.