Community Corner
In Memory of Aaron: Community Asked to Display Yellow Ribbons in Honor of the Fallen Soldier
Tie a yellow ribbon around a tree, a sign—wherever you can find a spot—in honor of local soldier Aaron Toppen, who was killed by apparent friendly fire in Afghanistan.
The Mokena community is launching a yellow ribbon campaign in remembrance of Aaron Toppen, a 19-year-old soldier who died in Afghanistan this week.
Toppen, a 2013 graduate of Lincoln-Way East, is believed to have been killed by friendly fire.
As his family awaits his arrival in Mokena, friends of the Toppen family ask that community members display yellow ribbons in his memory.
Toppen departed for Afghanistan in March, a month after the death of his father Ronald Toppen, Sun-Times Media reports.
"Aaron was a funny, caring, loving kid,” his sister Amanda Gralewski told Sun-Times reporters. “He loved to fish. He loved his friends. He loved being outdoors. He loved his family. He would give the shirt off his back for anyone.”
Family friend Debbie Kowalkowski hopes the ribbons offer a sense of remembrance and peace to the Toppen family.
"This has been a really tough run for everyone," she said of the family. "We're hoping the yellow ribbons bring everyone together, to welcome him home."
Kowalkowski envisions yellow ribbons lining Wolf Road, and also near his family's home on Marjorie Parkway off of 187th Street. Trees, doors—anywhere a yellow ribbon can be affixed, they look forward to it. Family members are unsure when Toppen will be arriving home, but Kowalkowski encourages residents to display the ribbons as soon as possible.
"We'll take yellow ribbons wherever we can get 'em," she said. "If they see an empty tree and want to tie a yellow ribbon to it, go for it."
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