November 2010

Illinois REALTOR® Heroes

Our heartfelt thanks to all members of the Illinois Association of REALTORS® who have served our country with honor and distinction!

Pete Alukas, Re/Max 2000, Crete; U.S. Navy 1973-1977; San Diego CA and Philadelphia PA

Cary Bryant, Traders Realty Corp, East Peoria; U.S. Army 1996-1998; Ft. Irwin CA

Thomas A. Bucina, George Vlasis REALTORS®, Oak Lawn; U.S. Army 1969-1971; Fort Benning GA, Fort Ord CA and Vietnam

Bob Budd, Coldwell Banker Residential, Naperville; U.S.Navy 1964-1972; Nuclear Submarines, USS Henry Clay SSBN 625 and USS Sam Rayburn SSBN 635

Jim Buntenbach, Keller Williams Premier, Libertyville; U.S. Air Force, 1973-1994; SD, HI, WY, SC and the Great Lakes Naval Base

Douglas Carpenter, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Glen Ellyn; U.S. Air Force 1966-1969; Travis Air Force Base CA

Joe Carroll, Coldwell Banker Brown REALTORS®, Belleville; U.S. Navy 1985-1989, USS CORAL SEA

Tom Case, Coldwell Banker Nester Realty, Shiloh; U.S. Air Force 1982-2003; 6 U.S.-headquartered bases and others in Belgium, The Netherlands, South Korea and Saudi Arabia

Frank Chandler, Landmark Realty, Edwardsville, U.S. Navy 1956-1959; Pearl Harbor

Philip Chiles, The Real Estate Group, Springfield; U.S. Marine Corps 1967-1971; one-year tour in Vietnam

Jim Chione, Kettley & Co. Inc. REALTORS®, Sugar Grove; U.S. Marines 1958-1962; San Diego CA, Jacksonville NC; Project Mercury Recovery Program

James M. Daniels, Southwest Realty Services, Inc. Chicago; U.S. Marine Corps 1985-1992 , Operation Desert Storm, Republic of Philipines, Mt. Pinatubo Eruption 1991

Vance Eubanks, Weichert REALTORS®, Wheaton; U.S. Air Force 1966-1970; served in Vietnam, Germany and three U.S.-headquartered bases

Rich Gaebel, Coldwell Banker Brown REALTORS®, Belleville; U.S. Navy 1966-1970; River Boat Patrol in Vietnam

Sandro Gonzalez, Keller Williams Realty Professionals, Oak Park; U.S. Army 1993-1996; Fort Hood TX 1st Cavalry Division

Don Hale, Coldwell Banker Nester Realty, Shiloh; U.S. Air Force, six permanent base assignments, Headquarters AF Communications Command

Ron Jakious, Jakious Real Estate, Aurora; U.S. Navy 1968-1969; Served in Vietnam River Squadron Military Patch

Galen Johnson, Johnson Real Estate, Pawnee; U.S. Army 1966-1968; Fort Leonard Wood MO and Pleiku Vietnam

John Kretchmar, Chicago Exclusive Properties, Chicago; U.S. Navy 1967-1971; Lakehurst NJ, Mojave Desert, Japan and Vietnam

Eli Lampson, North Shore-Barrington Association of REALTORS®; U.S. Army 2003-2008; Baghdad

Bob LaRue, Strano & Associates Real Estate, O’Fallon; U.S. Air Force 1964-1990, Retired Colonel, served at 11 U.S.-based Air Force bases and Osan, Korea

Roger Lautt, RE/MAX Vision, Chicago; U.S. Army Oct. 1966 to Aug. 1968 - 1 year in Vietnam, Honorable Discharge - Staff Sargent E-6

David Levin, NAI/Ruhl& Ruhl Commercial Company, Davenport, Iowa; U.S. Army Reserve Medic 1970-1976; Houston TX, Cedar Rapids IA - Battalion Mobile Unit Surgical Transportable

Nathan Lyons, Century 21 Pro-Team, Orland Park; U.S. Army Ranger 2005-2010, 3rd Ranger Battalion, served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Lawrence Madigan, Prudential First Realty, McHenry; U.S. Navy 1968-1970; helicopter carrier USS Tripoli off Vietnam

Joe Malecki, Realty Executives New Image, Palos Hills; U.S Army 1966-1968, 202D Transportation Battalion, Inchon, Korea, Sergeant, was there when "Pueblo" was taken hostage by North Koreans

Clark Mandrell, Home Buyers Marketing II, Inc., Alton; U.S. Army 1968-1972; U.S. and Germany

Mike Manno, REALTOR® Association of NorthWest Chicagoland; Illinois National Guard 1962-1968; 233 Combat Engineers of the 33rd Infantry Division.

Jo Ann Speer Martin, Coldwell Banker Nester Realty, Shiloh; U.S. Air Force 1978-1998; Retired Lieutenant Colonel; Served at 6 Bases in the United States, including twice at Scott AFB, and Germany.

Juan Martinez, Martinez Realty Group, Cicero; U.S. Army 1993-1996; Schofield Barracks HI and five years Illinois Army National Guard

Martin D. Pavlik, Century 21 Kmiecik, REALTORS®, Chicago; U.S. Army, 1954-1956; Germany

Doug Peters, Strano & Associates Realty, Belleville; U.S. Army 1983-1989; Intelligence Sergeant Special Forces Group, Ft. Devens MA

Fritz Pfister, Re/Max Professionals, Springfield; U.S. Air Force 1970-1973; Air Traffic Controller, Thailand

Roger Roddy, Re/Max Preferred, Swansea; U.S. Air Force 1981-2001

Eric Ryden, Quad Cities Iowa Realty, Moline; U.S. Navy, 1987-1987 active duty followed by entry into Naval Reserves and continue to serve today; deployment to Iraq 2007 Operation Iraqi Freedom

J.P. Schermerhorn, Schermerhorn & Co., Evanston; U.S. Army 1951-1953; 101st Airborne: 5th Army Fiscal Officer

Jim Sikes, Coldwell Banker Devonshire, Washington; U.S. Navy 1992-1994; U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, Washington DC

Chuck Smith, Sperry Van Ness, Champaign; U.S. Air Force 1956-1958, served in reserves until retired as Lt Col. 1976, fighter pilot Grisson AFB

Rodney Sterne, Michals Realty, Inc., North Riverside; U.S. Army 1974-1976; Korea and Fort Sheridan IL.; Army Reserve to 1980

Jeffrey Stelle, The Real Estate Group, Inc., Springfield; U.S. Navy 1979-1985; Electronics Technician 2nd Class ET2

Betty Jo (Markham) Stocks, Coldwell Banker Nester, US Navy, 1979- 1984, Air Traffic Controller

Albert M. Suguitan, Greater Gateway Association of REALTORS®; U.S. Army 1969-1992; Infantry-Adjunct General, MO, GA, SC and Frankfort, Germany

Dan Tatum, Strano & Associates Real Estate, O’Fallon; U.S. Air Force 1963 - 1993; Retired Full Colonel, service including South Vietnam, Germany, Scott Air Force Base

Richard Voss, Voss Realty, Sleepy Hollow; U.S. Army, 1952 - 1958; Senior parachutist, Korea and Germany

Curtis Ward, Currealty Inc., Chicago; U.S. Marine Corps 1984-1990; Operation Desert Storm, South Korea, Sri Lanka, NC and VA

Mike Welsh, Coldwell Banker, Lake Forest; U.S. Army 1968-1970, stationed at Forts Dix, Benning and Lewis and a tour in Kontum, Vietnam

Craig Wieseman, Coldwell Banker Brown REALTORS®, Highland; Illinois National Guard, 1990-1999

Frank Yunk-Arnold; Coldwell Banker Brown, O’Fallon; U.S. Air Force 1979 – 2001; Joint Tactical Air Controller, U.S. and overseas

Ray Baggott, Gold Team REALTORS® Inc., DuQuoin; U.S. Air Force, 1961-1965; San Antonio TX, Lincoln NB

Palmer Kemp, Fox Creek Realty, Edwardsville; U.S. Marine Corps 1955-1958; CA and Okinawa Japan

Vince Ricchezza, Re/Max Integrity Realty Group, Glen Carbon; U.S. Air Force 1982-2003; Scott Air Force Base

Steven Unverzagt, The Real Estate Firm, Springfield; U.S. Army 1969-1972; Fort Bragg NC and Vietnam 1st Cavalry