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Schools

American Flag from PSHS Presented to Mother of Pfc. Andrew Meari

Meari, who attended Plainfield South, was killed in November while fighting in Afghanistan.

The American flag that last flew over on Veterans Day was given to the family of , a former Plainfield South student killed Nov. 1 in Afghanistan.

Plainfield South Principal David Travis and members of the Plainfield School District 202 board presented Meari’s family with the carefully folded and encased flag at Monday’s board meeting while members of the Warriors’ Watch Riders formed a solemn flag line.

Dave Skinner, a volunteer with the Watch Riders, presented the family with a gold coin and a set of symbolic beads that honor military families.

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“We try to honor all of our veterans, past, present and future, to show we all appreciate their service,” Skinner said. “We show support and we show honor.”

During the flag presentation, district spokesman Tom Hernandez said the district expresses sympathy for the family’s loss and gratitude for Meari’s sacrifice and service.

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Meari was laid to rest at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery on Veterans Day after a procession led past his old high school and through downtown Plainfield passed dozens of people lining the roads to show their respects.

“People keep asking us if there is anything they can do,” Meari’s mother, Denise Meehan, said after Monday’s flag presentation. “There has been so much honor and respect shown to us. We are so appreciative of the community support. It has been overwhelming and awe-inspiring.”

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