Residents Ready To Welcome Home Marine And St. Rita Alumnus

OAK LAWN, IL —Hundreds of people will line the streets of Oak Lawn this Saturday, Sept. 19, to welcome home a young Marine. The procession is expected to roll through the village around 2:45 p.m.

Jimmy Smolik, 23, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2015 after graduating from St. Rita High School. He served in the security forces in Yokosuka Japan but was later assigned to the 1st-Batallion, 6th-Marines Infantry out of Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. He served in Africa, Spain, and Germany as part of a quick-reaction task force and finished his deployment in Okinawa, Japan, achieving the rank of sergeant.

The idea to line the streets to welcome Jimmy home arose during a conversation between his father, Scott, and Oak Lawn Trustee Tom Phelan (Dist. 6), with Phelan suggesting they do it as a way of bringing the community together.

“This is an opportunity to show our appreciation to someone who served our country and defended our freedom, and our neighborhood can really use this kind of Positive event," Phelan said, referring to the recent tragic death of popular neighborhood resident, Jack Roche, who was struck and killed by a car in July while home from college.

The viewing area for Jimmy’s procession begins at the northwest corner of 111th and Pulaski (in front of Reilly’s Daughter) and runs west on 111th Street, north on Kostner Avenue, and west on 107th across Cicero into the St. Linus parish neighborhood. Before finishing at the Smolik home the procession will circle the St. Linus football field where Jimmy once played and where Scott coached for 16 years. American flags will be placed at strategic viewing points for residents to wave and bring home.

Word of the procession reached the Canaryville Veterans Riders Association who volunteered to lead Jimmy’s procession. Spokesman Tommy Russell said his group is looking forward to the event to show their appreciation for Jimmy’s service and sacrifice. “A small percentage of Americans volunteer to serve in our armed forces, and we want to make sure they get the respect they deserve.”

A large party will take place after Jimmy gets home and his parents expect a lot of friends and family, as both of them come from large South Sde parish families, Scott from St. Nicholas of Tolentine, and Sharon (Kilmartin) from St. Rita. When reached by the Patch to comment on the plans for Saturday, Jimmy’s parents simply offered, “We are very proud of our son, extremely thankful for the support that he has been getting, and extremely happy that he is home.”