In November of 2007, the Villages of Vernon Hills and Libertyville started a new initiative to ensure veterans returning home from service overseas are welcomed home and recognized for their honorable duty. The program, named “Operation Welcome Home,” is an extension of the Blue Line For The Front Line effort, in which both towns have supported specific units deployed overseas and helped Veterans in need since 2003.

Resident service members will be picked up at the airport by a limousine.  The street leading to the service member's home will be lined with US flags. Village officials will present a gift certificate to a local restaurant and a proclamation of gratitude for dedicated service to the country.

Please keep in mind, the purpose of this effort is not about getting pats on the back for the Villages or the agencies involved. We simply want to give our residents who have bravely served this country a proper welcome home.

Residents of either Vernon Hills or Libertyville with a service member returning home may register for the program by contacting the Vernon Hills Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit at (847) 247-4889.

Click below to see pictures of our local hereos as they were welcomed home:

• Saturday, 12/8/07: USMC Lance Corporal James Hulse
• Tuesday, 1/22/08: USMC Lance Corporal Kevin Kohout and US Army Sgt. Joey Morales
• Sunday, 6/15/08: USMC Corporal Josh Gauiran
• Sunday, 10/19/08: USMC Lance Corporal Dmitriy Ostrovskiy
• Friday, 12/19/08: USMC Corporal Michael Daniel
• Friday, 2/5/10: US Army Sgt. Jeffrey Thies

For information regarding Operation Freedom Calls, where families can make free video conference calls to soldiers in Iraq, please click here.