Illinois service members killed in combat after 9/11 memorialized ahead of terror attack anniversary

Anna Ware was filled with dread when she opened her door to two servicemen.

It was a week before Christmas in 2009. Her 27-year-old son Albert Ware, an Army sergeant and father of three, was serving his second tour in Afghanistan. The uniformed men on the doorstep of her Pullman home told her Albert was killed after a roadside bomb blew up his Humvee.

“I could just see death in their eyes. And I just closed the door because I didn’t want to hear what they had to say,” said Ware, tears streaming down her face. “I asked God to give me strength to go back and open the door.”

A hand-drawn portrait of Albert is now on display in the Daley Center’s lobby alongside the over 300 Illinois service members killed during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The “Portrait of a Soldier” commemoration started in 2004 when a staffer for former Gov. Pat Quinn drew a portrait of an Illinois service member killed in Iraq. Quinn, who was lieutenant governor at the time, was in the habit of attending every funeral for the Illinois military members killed overseas. The staffer, Cameron Schilling, began reaching to other Gold Star families and offering to draw their loved ones.

“It’s very important that we never forget the names and the sacrifice of Illinois service members who gave their lives to defend our democracy after Sept. 11,” Quinn said during a Wednesday morning news conference unveiling the memorial. “They are different ages. They are from different regions of Illinois. But they all had one thing in common. They had an ethic of service.”

The memorial has been displayed across the state for several years. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the graphite portraits will be at the Daley Center until Sept. 16. Each drawing includes the service member’s name, rank, age, hometown and date they died.

Also at the unveiling was Christine Hotchkin. Her son, Gunnar Hotchkin, was killed in Afghanistan in June 2010. Hotchkin worked in home construction until the work dried up following the 2008 financial crash. He enlisted in 2009 to support his wife and three young kids, who lived in Naperville.

He was killed by a roadside bomb during a battle with insurgents, his mom said. He was 31.

“It means so much to have him honored like this. It’s tough to put into words,” Hotchkin said, standing in front of her son’s portrait.