Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn joined several Gold Star Families to unveil the Portrait of a Soldier exhibit at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.
The hand drawn portraits will be on display from Tuesday, Oct. 7 through Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12. The exhibit will be open through the week from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday the exhibit will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Gold Star Families that were on hand for the dedication were Dan and Marla Uhles, parents of Marine L.Cpl. Drew Uhles; Jim Smith, father of Marine Sgt. Benjamin Smith; Gay Eisenhauer, mother of Army PFC. Wyatt Eisenhauer and Cheryl Price, mother of Marine L.Cpt. Jonathan K. Price.
Also joining Quinn were State Rep. John Bradley and Mayor Robert Butler. Honors were presented by the VFW Ritual Team.
The idea of the Portrait of Soldier began when artist Cameron Schilling of Mattoon drew the first portrait in August, 2004, after Army Spc. Charles Neeley, also of Mattoon, was killed in Iraq. Schilling gave the sketch to Spc. Neeley's parents to convey his sympathy for their loss. In October 2005, while a student at Eastern Illinois University, Schilling decided to draw a portrait of every Illinois service member who has fallen during the Global War on Terror.
The original sketches were presented to the families, and copies have been displayed in exhibits throughout the state.
"These portraits allow us as citizens of Illinois to look into the eyes of these heroes and see their souls," Quinn said. "It is the duty of us, the living, to see that these soldiers have not died in vain."
It was through Quinn's office that Schilling was able to coordinate doing the portraits and the traveling exhibit is handled.
"These brave service members went to the very gates of hell to protect our freedoms," Quinn said. "It is fitting that we keep the memory of their dedication alive for generations to come."