Community Can Purchase Brick Pavers for Veterans Memorial

Residents, organizations and businesses soon will be able to honor military veterans by truly walking the walk—and purchasing a brick paver to be placed at the Edward "Doc" McCartan Veterans Memorial located near the former site of the Romeoville Village Hall at 13 Montrose Drive.

The Romeoville Village Board on Wednesday gave the green light to a request from Assistant Village Manager Dawn Caldwell to begin implementing the brick paver program in tribute to family members, loved ones or friends of those who honorably served their country.

The updated monument on Montrose Drive will feature five large granite markers, each representing a branch of the U.S. armed forces, as well as an eagle sculpture and, of course, a brick-paver walkway.

Plaques also will be installed at the monument in honor of McCartan, who served in the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines in World War II and the Korean War, and who was a Romeoville trustee from 1971-75 and 1995 to 2010.

At a dedication ceremony at the memorial June 1, Mayor John Noak said work on the project, which is funded through a village tax increment financing district, is scheduled for completion by October.

Those who purchase an 8-by-16-inch brick paver for placement at the memorial will have several options.

Option 1 is a military layout at $60 per paver. The first line will feature the veteran’s first and middle initials and last name; the second line will list the veteran’s organization, unit or ship; and the third line will detail the period in which he or she served and branch of service.

Option 2 features a logo with six lines of text (13 spaces per line) available for personalization. The cost is $70 per paver.

Option 3 offers the phrase “In support of the Men and Women who have proudly served our Country” and personalized lines that may include the name of a business, organization or association, name and/or title of an individual. No tagline, slogan or other wording is allowed. The cost is $60 per paver.

With Option 4, purchasers may create their own paver from the following guidelines: name of individual and family with family relationship, with the phrase “In honor of” or “In memory of,” dates, professional, military or school affiliations, name of business, organization or association and name and/or title of individual, date established and/or city and state (for businesses located outside of Romeoville).

No tagline, slogan or other wording is allowed. Option 4 costs $60.

In honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the village also is offering, free of charge, Fallen Soldier Memorial Plaques to be placed in a special section of the veterans memorial.

Each 12-by-15-inch plaque will feature a 5-by-7-inch metal photo and details of the veteran’s service.

The Fallen Soldier Plaques will be offered only to those who lost their lives in a military conflict during the time they lived in Romeoville.

To purchase a brick paver for the veterans memorial project or to find out how to honor a fallen local soldier with a memorial plaque, visit the village website at http://www.romeoville.org or call Village Hall at 815-886-7200.