It’s now the Captain Joshua Steele Post Office in Alpha. The renaming ceremony occurred this morning, honoring the 26 year old Steele, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in June of 2007 while serving in the U.S. Army. Among the speakers today—his brother Stephen, who served in the U.S. Air Force.
Steele grew up on a family farm in North Henderson. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Western Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos introduced the legislation to rename the Alpha Post Office in Steele’s honor.
Image and audio courtesy of Will Stevenson at WGIL Radio in Galesburg.