December 22, 2024
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An ‘oorah’ for a friend: Marine Corps League, Olenjack honored at KCC Veterans Day recognition ceremony

By Tiffany Blanchette and Rochelle Eiselt
Joseph Mayfield, commandant of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1253, leads the group in the retrieval of the colors Thursday afternoon at the conclusion of the Kankakee Community College’s Veterans Day recognition event. A table of remembrance displays a folded flag and a vase of flowers in the foreground.

Joseph Mayfield, commandant of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1253, leads the group in the retrieval of the colors Thursday afternoon at the conclusion of the Kankakee Community College’s Veterans Day recognition event. A table of remembrance displays a folded flag and a vase of flowers in the foreground. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

A loud “oorah” echoed through the Miner Memorial Library as members of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1253 let out the battle cry.

The thundering cry was in remembrance of their late friend and former detachment commandant, Stanley Olenjack.

A video tribute to Olenjack, who died in March, played Thursday during the Veterans Day recognition ceremony held at Kankakee Community College where the Kankakee County detachment was honored for their service.

The four members of Detachment 1253 in attendance worked closely with Olenjack, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who earned a Purple Heart medal and other decorations during his service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“He was always helping people,” his wife, Vicki, shared in the video, which interviewed several close friends and fellow veterans who knew him.

Olenjack chaired, led and participated in numerous veteran organizations. He was an advocate to veterans in the community and dedicated himself to helping his fellow veterans, according to his obituary.

It’s true that if there was a veterans event in Kankakee County, Olenjack was likely there.

“Stanley was an amazing man. He taught me more than I can put into words in my work with veterans for over a decade,” Kendra Souligne, KCC director of financial aid & student engagement, said at the event. “He was genuine, thoughtful, driven and determined to make the world a better place.”

Carrying on that mission is Joseph Mayfield, of Kankakee, now the commandant of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1253.

Mayfield said he hopes the message the community gets from the various Veterans Day ceremonies is that our veterans should not be forgotten for their efforts to keep the country safe and strong.

All veterans in attendance were also recognized and thanked for their service. The audience applauded as they stood from their seats.

“We thank you for your service to your country, your patriotism and your dedication to maintaining the freedoms that we are all blessed to have,” Souligne said.

“We truly appreciate your sacrifices to protect us at home and abroad and hope that you take advantage of the many benefits and services available to you that you have so proudly earned,” she said.

Kankakee Community College looks forward each year to hosting the Veterans Day recognition event, which began with a reception in the KCC Art Gallery, said KCC president Micheal Boyd.

Boyd recognized the KCC Veterans’ Association as a committed group of staff, faculty, students, alumni and supporters who work to provide a community atmosphere, outreach and fundraising, a gateway to leadership development and accessibility to benefits.

“It’s our mission to support veterans and the community, and for us making sure we serve our student veterans and make them understand that they belong here at KCC,” Boyd said.

Helping to serve student veterans, the Marine Corps League Detachment 1253 in 2017 created a $1,000 scholarship for each school year at the college open to any veteran or their spouse, dependent or family member with a financial need.

Mayfield said there is also a need for Marine veterans to serve on the detachment’s color guard that honors veterans throughout the year. Those interested can attend their meeting on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Bradley Bourbonnais Sportsmen’s Club.

The Marine Corps League promotes the history and traditions of the USMC, strengthens the bond of Marines and fosters the ideals of Americanism and patriotic volunteerism, according the Marine Corps League website. Active, reserve, retired and veteran Marines continue the faithful tradition of looking out for the Marines to their left and right.

https://daily-journal.com/news/local/an-oorah-for-a-friend-marine-corps-league-olenjack-honored-at-kcc-veterans-day-recognition/article_1092178e-9d83-11ef-8d36-bfc0d123adf1.html