Peoria Standard

State senators Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) and Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) both made time on Memorial Day to salute fallen soldiers and their families for their sacrifice.

“As a parent, I know someone sending your child to run toward danger instead of away from danger goes against every natural instinct that we have,” McConchie said in a video posted to YouTube.” But as a soldier, I know while we were scared when we would get into those difficult situations, we understood the value of the freedoms we were fighting for.”

Barickman said those families are deserving of all the praise that comes their way.

“I think it is especially important at a place such as this, the seat of our state’s government, to take time to reflect on the many sacrifices that have been made so we can be here,” he said in the video. “Army Sgt. Joshua Rodgers is one of those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us here today. I’d like to welcome Sgt. Rodgers’ mother, my friend Vonda Rodgers, to tell us more about her son.”

Rodgers shared that her son was deployed to Afghanistan on three different occasions before being killed in battle. She quickly added on the night he died, she’s certain he wouldn’t have rather been anywhere else.

“Josh died on the best night of his life,” she said. “Hard for a mom to say that, but I guarantee it. It was what he trained for, was what he dedicated his life to, what he committed to. So how do you respond on Memorial Day, what do you do to honor them?  It’s pretty simple, say their names, remember their stories. All we ask is that you remember our loved ones and you do what’s right in honor of them.”

McConchie was also recently on hand for the annual memorial service to honor fallen law enforcement officers.

In an early-morning public service at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, officers who died in the line of duty in 2019 and 2020 were recognized with their names being read and engraved on the memorial.

“This is a way for us to memorialize their sacrifices for all of us and to make sure we continue to remember their legacy and remember the fact that we need to defend our police officers every day because they’re out there defending us,” McConchie said in a video posted to YouTube. “It’s really important for us to honor our fallen police officers who put themselves on the line every day.”