On the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War, former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller welcomed Governor Quinn’s “Portrait of a Soldier” memorial exhibit to the Cook County Building with a press conference today. The exhibit consists of replicas of graphite portraits of Illinois service members who have been killed since September 11, 2001, drawn by artist Cameron Schilling of Mattoon and Donald Jeremiah of Streamwood, and will be on display in the Cook County Building until March 25th At the event, Governor Quinn, Commissioner Donna Miller, and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle gave remarks highlighting the importance of this unique way to remember those who lost their lives defending our country, including during the Iraq War. The first American casualty in the Iraq War was Ryan Beaupre, a young man from Bloomington, Illinois who died one day into the war on March 21, 2003. More than 300 service members from Illinois have been killed in action since September 11, 2001. Cameron Schilling of Mattoon, Illinois began the project while he was a student at Eastern Illinois University, drawing a portrait of fellow Mattoon resident U.S. Army Specialist Charles Neely who lost his life in Iraq. Governor Quinn established Portrait of a Soldier in 2004 while he was Lieutenant Governor after seeing Schilling’s work, and has since taken the exhibit around the state. Original portraits are gifted to the Gold Star families of individuals featured in the exhibition. The exhibit will be on display in the lobby of the County Building near the entrance located at 118 N. Clark Street. For more information about Portrait of a Soldier, visit governorquinnportrait.org