City recognizes sacrifices made by veterans
WAUKEGAN -- National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Burleson smiled as his wife, Nadine, and 18-month-old daughter Isabella, munching berries in her stroller, made their way through the crowd after a Veterans Day ceremony in downtown Waukegan.
A 17-year veteran of the Guard, Burleson, a Waukegan firefighter paramedic, returned in July from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan, where he provided security for a provincial reconstruction team. The country is mountainous, Burleson reported. It is three times larger than Iraq. He met a lot of villagers while on patrol.
(Thomas Delany Jr./News-Sun)
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"They're appreciative of us," he said.
Nadine Burleson, a native of Germany, was less matter-of-fact about her husband's call to duty and their time apart.
"It was tough," she said. "But you've got to find the strength. You just have to believe, and have faith."
Veterans who returned from the nation's wars, those who didn't, and all those who have donned uniforms in service of country were honored at the city's annual event, sponsored by Waukegan American Legion Homer Dahringer Post 281, which begins with a parade and culminates in a ceremony at Veterans Plaza, West and Washington streets.
The Waukegan High School marching band played the "Star Spangled Banner." More than 100 Waukegan High School ROTC cadets marched. Speeches were followed by a rifle salute and the playing of "Taps."
American Legion Post 281 Commander Dan Ptasienski called veterans "ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things."
"America owes a debt to her vets that can never be fully repaid," he told an estimated crowd of 1,500.
Waukegan Mayor Robert Sabonjian asked those with loved ones serving in the military to raise their hands.
"Look around. Say 'Thank you.' Give them a hug," Sabonjian said. "Let them know you have a bigger family here in the city of Waukegan."
Liza Parsell of Waukegan wiped away tears. Her son Ryan Parsell, a 2006 graduate of Waukegan High School, has just returned to North Carolina from a six-month tour of Afghanistan.
"I'm proud," she said. "It was six months of worry. You pray they will come back safe."
Yusef Balderas, 62, of Waukegan, snapped a salute toward the end of the program. He served with the 173rd Airborne in Vietnam, he said, during 1966-1967.
"It's kind of a sad day for me -- right behind the killings at Fort Hood -- but it's also a day of rejoicing, to remember the sacrifices men and women have made," he said.
Balderas glanced around the crowded plaza.
"It's good to see people care enough to come out," he said.
