Guy Mylander hasn’t looked for recognition or thanks in the nearly 50 years since he’s returned home from fighting in the Vietnam War.
But an effort by Vernon Hills officials to show thanks to those around town who are military veterans or currently serving the armed forces is not lost on Mylander, who has lived in the village for nearly 30 years.
Drafted as a teen shortly after graduating high school, he said, “It was an honor to serve,” as he reflected on what he witnessed in three years of the war and the steep costs inflicted on all involved.
Mylander is one of more than 20 residents, including some who have died, set to be honored with a specialized banner commemorating his service at the Vernon Hills Village Board meeting on Tuesday night.
“I think they grab you when you’re 19 because your head’s not fully developed yet, and they can do what they want with you,” he said, “unlike World War II when the average age (of U.S. soldiers) was 26.”
The occasion brings back memories of returning to a country that was sharply divided about the war, and Mylander became emotional as he recalled how many Vietnam veterans returned home with drug addictions, severe post-traumatic stress disorder and other health conditions from experiencing war.
It wasn’t until attending a parade honoring the service of veterans in the 1980s that Mylander realized how many of his neighbors and residents had answered their country’s call. That experience, and connecting with his fellow veterans afterward, invoked a new sense of shared experience and camaraderie that persists today.
Mylander hopes Tuesday’s ceremony will continue to help connect veterans of all the armed forces — those who fought in wars and those who served in peacetime — find similar connections in their community.
“They had quite a turnout (in 1986), and from then on it became clear that this was what should be done,” he said. “They continued that as Desert Storm came on in 1990, then Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and all that stuff. They’ve recognized the troops coming home.”
The idea for the program, which began in 2022, came after trustee David Oppenheimer’s visit to Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was inspired to do more to honor Vernon Hills residents who serve in the military after seeing banners dedicated to Poughkeepsie-area veterans displayed around the city.
“I thought it’d be a nice thing if we can honor our military, active duty as well as the veterans,” Oppenheimer said.
He credited assistant village manager Jon Petrillo, a military veteran himself, who “really ran with” the idea, and also put in research about what other communities do to honor those who have served in the military.
Among the honorees is Jim Heier, a World War II veteran who served on the USS Corregidor. After the war, Heier raised his family in Vernon Hills, where he was a trustee for 12 years and lived out his days with his wife, Helen.
His daughter, Diana, said her father cared deeply about the well-being of other veterans, especially those who developed mental illnesses or suffered from addiction after returning home.
“He was already concerned about how many vets there were that didn’t have anybody, that didn’t have family that was around or didn’t want them around because of what they had gone through,” Heier said. “That was always in my father’s heart and in my mind an awful lot.”
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She said that her father, who passed away in 2013, fell in love with the central Lake County community after the Heiers bounced around the country during Diana’s childhood and settled in Vernon Hills in 1974, when Diana was 8.
“When we hit Vernon Hills, it all changed,” she said. “It was such a wonderful town to grow up in. We all just kind of took to Vernon Hills, it welcomed us and it became our home.”
Diana told the News-Sun the recognition would have meant, “everything in the world to my father.”
“He would have been so incredibly humbled, and it would have made him cry,” she added. “I can guarantee that. He was so proud to have served.”
Owen Ray, a 2022 graduate of Vernon Hills High School and a first-year cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, will also be honored Tuesday night.
His mother, Elizabeth, said her family was pleasantly surprised to hear the village also had interest in spotlighting current members of the military. She said her son worked while in high school to make sure he was “in top physical shape” to ensure he would succeed in passing the physical testing requirements, in addition to the character and grade requirements for entry into West Point.
Potential cadets also must obtain nominations, either from their state representative or U.S. senator, or receive service-connected nominations to be admitted.
Ray said her son has been determined for years to make the world a better place, and said he wants to, “protect those people who might not be in a position to be able to protect themselves.”
“We miss him terribly, but we’re really proud of him and his commitment to serving his country,” she said.