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Growing up fast: Trio of Streator veterans reflect on military service shaping their lives · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Growing up fast, trio of Streeter veterans reflect on military service shaping
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  their lives. Written by Derek Bericello This article is being read by
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  an automated voice brought to you by Everlet. Jack Graham wanted to
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  experience the world.
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  Born and raised in Streator, the way to see what was beyond
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  his community was through military service.
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  He served in the Marines and in the National Guard, with tours
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  in Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan in 2008.
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  His military service allowed him to get his associate and bachelor’s degrees,
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  giving him an opportunity to expand his education; however, he had to
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  put himself in harm’s way.
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  Graham’s story is not unlike many other veterans from Streator. Growing up
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  in a community that had a population of about 15,000 in the
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  1970s and 1980s, military service was seen as an opportunity.
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  In high school I didn’t know what was out there, Graham said.
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  You don’t get to see much in high school.
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  In Afghanistan, Graham served on a 12-man international team that helped the
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  Afghan police look for enemy Taliban. During these missions, he was in
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  a danger zone.
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  We faced enemy fire, said Graham, who is now 62 and retired.
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  And we had to exchange fire.
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  For facing danger, he received the Combat Action Badge, among other honors
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  in the military.
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  Through his service, he was able to get his associate degree from
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  Illinois Valley Community College and bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in
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  Normal.
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  He retired from a 22-year career in corrections, working in Sheridan and
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  Pontiac prisons.
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  Mark Lowe, of Streator, shared a similar inspiration for enlisting as Graham
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  did.
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  He decided to join the military in 1973 because he had a
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  low draft number. He knew military service would give him access to
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  education.
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  During that period of my life, I knew I had to do
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  something to get some schooling, Lowe said.
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  Lowe served in the U.S. Navy as a communications electrician from 1972
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  to 1976. He served on the USS Raleigh, which is a warship
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  designed to embark, transport and land Marines, equipment and supplies into foreign
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  territory. On the USS Raleigh, Lowe was part of tours in the
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  Mediterranean, the Caribbean and North Atlantic.
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  Specifically, the USS Raleigh was sent to Beirut to rescue 300 Americans
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  in June 1976. Beirut was a war zone during the Lebanese Civil
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  War.
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  We extracted 300 citizens and transported them to Naples, Italy, Lowe said.
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  For being part of that effort, Lowe received a Humanitarian Medal. He
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  also received the Good Conduct Medal, among other honors, for his time.
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  He attended some college, and his education combined with his military service
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  led him to a career working for cable TV. During his time
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  in the Navy, he repaired and serviced television, gyrocompasses and telegraphs, among
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  other equipment.
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  Reno Pence Sr. Was drafted in 1972 in the last Streator draft
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  class.
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  He served from 1972 to 1974 in the U.S. Army and then
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  from 1978 to 1993 in the National Guard. In the past 15
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  years, he’s volunteered to be a part of the Honor Guard at
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  the Streator American Legion Post 217, now serving as the Honor Guard
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  commander.
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  During his time in the Army, he spent time in Germany, Greece
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  and Crete.
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  Leaving his hometown, Pence said he gained more appreciation for family and
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  friends when he was serving.
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  You don’t realize how important family is until you’ve been gone for
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  a period of time, he said.
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  The trio of Streator veterans acknowledged the growth they made from being
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  a teenager to an adult, and the role military service played in
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  shaping their adult lives.
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  The military made me grow up fast, said Lowe, who has been
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  married for 53 years to his wife, Jane. They have four adult
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  children, Mark who died in 2022, Zack, Luke and Emma. It helped
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  me become a man. I recommend any young person enlist.