UPDATED:  14 OCT 06

The funeral is at 444 E. Washington St. in E. Peoria.
Staging is at 0800-0845. At Remerts Funeral Home across the street.
They will have coffee and facilities.

Thanks and sorry for any confusion or delay,

SlingBlade

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SERVICES INFO UPDATE:  12 OCT 06

Visitation:    
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Friday, October 13th, 2006
Deiters Funeral Home - East Peoria
444 E. Washington Street
East Peoria , IL 61611

Funeral Services:
10:00 AM Saturday, October 14th, 2006
Deiters Funeral Home - East Peoria
444 E. Washington Street
East Peoria , IL 61611

Rally point info coming.

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UPDATE -  11 Oct  5:20 pm
-ESCORT INFORMATION-

SPC Obourn is arriving at LAMBERT INTL. AIRPORT-(Not Ohare as originally thought)
Thursday-12 October

Stage: 615 PM - Location: American Airlines Cargo (to the east of Lambert Field)
Going to Washington, Il.  There is no limit to number of riders.

Note: The weather forecast is COLD, with wind gusts up to 23 MPH and a Real Feal Temp of 12F
Please be sure YOU are prepared for these extremes before committing to this escort.

-Honor Guard-

We will need people, 2 per shift, to stand as Honor Guard at the facility in Washington, from our arrival on Thursday night untill late Fri morning or early afternoon.
We will have full access to the inside of the facility with coffee etc... provided.

Prefer some fresh bodies that were not on the escort ride.

Email me personally for the Honor Guard with your name, contact number and time frame you are available so I can make the roster.

Thanks all,

Todd (SlingBlade)
leclairtodd@yahoo.com




UPDATE: 08 OCT 06 - 1236 PM

 

SEPERATOR

06 Oct 2006, 5:42 pm

MISSION CONFIRMED - Ride Captain: Todd LeClair (leclairtodd@yahoo.com)

                                             Co-Captain: Joe Alger (jalger@jafrate.com)

THIS MISSION WILL MOST PROBABLY TAKE PLACE IN THE PEKIN AREA.

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05 Oct 2006 6:01 AM

In the last two days, two heart of Illinois families have lost their sons in the war in Iraq.

Specialists Kris Walker and George Obourn, Jr. were both originally from Creve Coeur.

After playing in the school band together, these high school best friends decided to serve their county as a team.

Tuesday family and friends learned that 20-year-old Specialist Kris Walker was killed in combat. Then Wednesday afternoon, more devastating news, as they learned 20-year-old Specialist George Obourn, Jr. was also killed in Iraq.

HOI 19 spoke on the phone with the parents of Specialist Obourn, who now live in Naperville, IL and they say the two were inseparable. And even though they were at first against their son joining the military, they are proud of his service to his country.

"They joined the military together and at first I was against it, I wasn't going to sign the papers to let him go. And he said his country's at war- right or wrong- and its his duty," said Debbie Obourn.

Details of the attacks that killed the two soldiers are still coming out. Their parents say they died in two separate attacks, and from what they've been told Walker was killed when his vehicle hit some kind of a bomb. Obourn was killed when the building he was in was hit by a bomb.

At East Peoria High School, where the two soldiers graduated from in 2004, teachers and administrators are trying to deal with the loss.

EPCHS principal Paul Whittington described the two friends as loving people and good students.  "For both of them to lose their lives defending the country is admirable and at the same time it’s very, very saddening,” Whittington said. “It's just to hit one school this way, it's difficult and I know teachers are struggling thinking about these young men because 2004 wasn't that far off."

EPCHS will hold a moment of silence for the two men this Friday night at the school's homecoming football game.