Miguel Cortez spent four years in Waukegan High School’s JROTC program before graduating on May 17, and is now embarking on a path to become an officer in the Illinois National Guard.
Heading to the University of Illinois Chicago to study biomedical engineering, Cortez said he will also be part of the Army ROTC program in college.
Excited at the prospect of becoming an officer in the National Guard, Cortez said that as members of the JROTC program prepared for the Waukegan Memorial Day parade, his high school military training gave him a grounding in leadership he will use as an officer.
“This is amazing. I’m the first in my family to join the military,” Cortez, the son of Mexican immigrants, said. “When I see someone struggling, I go to help them,” he added, referring to his JROTC training. “We all have to work together.”
His decision to join the military drew praise from members of Gold Star families and local officials attending the annual Waukegan Memorial Day parade and ceremony Monday.
Mayor Ann Taylor, who spoke about the solemnity of Memorial Day during the ceremony, said afterward she was impressed with Cortez’s decision. It shows his commitment to continue the tradition of those remembered at the parade.
“It’s fantastic he is willing to step up and put his life on the line for our freedom,” she said. “It’s important to all of us. He will be a credit to the country as an officer.”
Edward Davis Jr., a retired Waukegan police officer, attends the parade and ceremony each year as a way to connect with his son, the late U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Ed Davis III, who was killed on April 28, 2006, while serving in Iraq, also liked what he learned about Cortez.
“I admire what he’s doing for our country and our freedom,” Davis said. “He will make us all proud.”
Steve Martin, a retired Waukegan police officer who served with Davis, also comes to the parade each year to remember his son, the late U.S. Army Capt. Shane Mahaffee, killed in action in Iraq 18 days after Davis. He, too, was impressed with Cortez’s future plans.
“It’s outstanding the son of immigrants, who chose to come to our country, is making the choice to defend its citizens,” Martin said. “It’s an honorable profession to defend our country.”
Displays of patriotism and remembrance took on a variety of forms.
As Nancy Flores sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a chorus formed in the crowd and grew louder as the song was sung to its conclusion.
“She was leading us, but I wanted to sing,” Lake County Judge Charles Smith said. “My daughter is a naval aviator, and my son is in the naval reserve. I was singing for them.”
“It’s heartfelt,” added Tony Figueroa, the ceremony’s 2022 keynote speaker and a Vietnam veteran. “It’s part of who I am.”
Liz Balderos watched the parade as it moved westward on Washington Street, from Genesee Street to West Street, for the ceremony at Veterans Plaza. She came for her husband, Yusef, a Vietnam veteran who died two years ago.
“He marched every year for those who did not return,” she said.
During her speech at the ceremony, Taylor said people may use the holiday weekend for family cookouts or yard work, but Memorial Day is a day for remembrance and gratitude for those killed fighting for the United States and offering comfort to their families.
“Memorial Day is a poignant reminder of the profound weight carried by the families of fallen soldiers, who endure irreplaceable anguish beyond our comprehension,” she said. “It is our duty to provide solace to these families today and every day, continually acknowledging and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Capt. Matt Burleson of the Waukegan Fire Department talked about the sacrifice those remembered on Memorial Day made for the freedom every American experiences in his keynote address. He is a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant.
“From Lexington to Concord, to the trenches of World War I, the beaches of Normandy, the jungles of Vietnam, through the deserts of Iraq, to the mountains of Afghanistan, there’s no part of this Earth where American blood hasn’t been shed in pursuit of freedom,” he said.
Burleson stressed the freedom Americans enjoy came because of men and women who did not return home leaving, “empty chairs at tables, unheld hands” and “unfathered children.”
“We are a nation born of freedom, but that freedom is not free,” he said. “It has been purchased, and repurchased, by the blood of heroic Americans that have laid down their lives so that we might live ours.”
