Orland Park’s annual Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2025, brought veterans, families, village officials and students to the public square to honor local service members, hear a keynote from Medal of Honor recipient Alan J. Lynch and add names to the village’s Air Apache memorial.

The ceremony opened with a series of letters read aloud by Dan Marcin, veterans program coordinator for the Village of Orland Park Veterans Advisory Board. Marcin, a U.S. Navy veteran, thanked local schools for their participation and described the board’s volunteer efforts. "We ship about 50 boxes a month to troops overseas," Marcin said, adding, "We did about 500 boxes last year." He announced a packaged-cookie collection at the library on Saturday the 15th and named the Orland Park Veterans Golf Classic at Silver Lake and weekly raffles at Tommy T’s as major fundraisers that support the board’s care-package shipments.

"These are not just events — they're ways our community supports veterans and their families," Marcin said, and he invited families whose loved ones will be engraved on the memorial to collect certificates after the ceremony.

Alan J. Lynch, introduced by Marcin and identified at the ceremony as a Medal of Honor recipient for actions in Vietnam, delivered the keynote address. Lynch reflected on the cost of freedom and the personal toll of combat service, saying, "This is our day — those of us who are still alive, this is our day that we get to be told thank you by our fellow citizens." He described meeting wounded veterans and reminded the audience that veterans defend constitutional liberties.

Mayor Jim Dodge and members of the village board attended to recognize the service of veterans and the 30th anniversary of the Air Apache memorial. Dodge read a list of names to be added to the memorial, including Daniel Baden (U.S. Army), Larry Lorimer (U.S. Marines) and Michael Peel (U.S. Marines), and thanked the American Legion for sponsoring several historic recognitions. Dodge also praised local schools and District 135 for student participation in Veterans Day programming.

The mayor presented a proclamation commending U.S. Navy sailors and U.S. Marines and noting recent service anniversaries referenced at the ceremony. Marcin explained the hometown hero banner program and directed residents to the village website (orlandpark.org/veterans) to request a banner or a name on the wall; a DD Form 214 is required for verification, he said.

The Orland Park Children’s Choir performed a medley of service-branch songs and closed the program with "God Bless America." The event included a rifle volley and taps; refreshments were served after the ceremony.

Organizers highlighted several ongoing community opportunities connected to veterans services: monthly care-package shipments funded by local fundraisers, a cookie-collection drive at the public library and the hometown hero banner program. Marcin also thanked Parks and Recreation staff and volunteers for organizing the ceremony.

The ceremony concluded with invitations for families of newly engraved veterans to meet with officials to receive certificates and with a reminder about the village’s Memorial Day observance in 2026.