DeKalb, IL: There will be a special ceremony on Sunday, May 19th to Honor DeKalb County First Responders. This event will be a chance to honor all first responders in the DeKalb County area.
“We are excited to have a central location to honor our police, fire, and medical first responders,” comments DeKalb Sheriff Andrew Sullivan. “This event will also provide a chance to honor former DeKalb County Sheriff Deputy Christina Musil and all first responders who keep the county safe.
The idea for this special memorial came from local businessmen John and Foti Pappas and Special Event
Promoter Michael Embrey in a meeting 18 months ago. The concept was to create a memorial to honor all the brave men and women who serve and protect the citizens of DeKalb County.
The acceleration to complete the project came after the tragic loss of local DeKalb County Sheriff Deputy Christina Musil. The other reason was to have the ceremony and be part of National Police Week, May 12-19th. The President of the United States of America proclaimed May 15, 2024, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 12 through May 19, 2024, as National Police Week. The location for the new memorial event is the front entrance to the Isaac Executive Suites, 2675 Sycamore Road, in DeKalb, Illinois. It is at the crossroads where the cities of Sycamore and DeKalb meet – Oakland Avenue and Illinois Route 23. Adding to the current and existing American Flag pole will be two (2) new additional flag poles, one for fire departments and one for law enforcement organizations. A bronze memorial plaque to honor Sherriff Deputy Christina Musil will be at the base of the American flag pole.
This new Memorial was created by local event promoter Michael Embrey and sponsored and funded by the John & Foti Pappas Families and the Tom & Todd Weaver Families.
“We wanted to complete this special memorial and dedication before too much time has passed,” stated Michael Embrey. “With Memorial Day, Flag Day, and 4th of July coming up, we did not want to overshadow the importance of this project.”
The 2:00 PM ceremony will include an honor speech presentation by DeKalb County Sheriff Andrew Sullivan, Invocation by Reverend Steve Persson, singing of the Star Spangle Banner by retired fireman Ron Lofton, the playing of Amazing Grace by Fireman Bagpiper Tom Conley, and the placement of the new fire and police flags on the adjacent poles by local fire and police officers.
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