Flags to fly at half-mast to honor Joliet soldier

Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy is joining the governor in ordering that flags be flown at half-mast in honor of Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr.

Duenez of Joliet was among four U.S. Army soldiers who died in March when their armored vehicle sunk in a bog during a training mission in Lithuania.

Gov. JB Pritzker ordered that flags be flown at half-mast, or half-staff, from sunrise Tuesday until sunset on Thursday.

The order was announced on Monday.

D’Arcy on Tuesday requested that flags throughout the city be lowered to half-staff starting at sunrise on Friday, and for the two days immediately preceding that day.

Dueñez, Jr. was from Joliet and would have turned 26 years old on April 8.

“This is a tragic loss of life,” said D’Arcy in a statement released by his office.

“We all owe it to him and his family to show our deepest respect for his commitment to our country by lowering flags to half-staff,” he said.

Duenez, 25, was a M1 Abrams tank system maintainer with over seven years in the Army, according to a news release from the Army that announced his death.

He was serving with the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Stewart in Georgia.

Duenez was a graduate of the Army Basic Leader Course and the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations course. He deployed to Poland in 2021 and Germany in 2022.

His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

“Sgt. Jose Duenez will always hold a special place in our hearts,” Capt. Madyson K. Wellens, Diesel Forward Support Troop commander with the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment said in the release.

“As both a leader and a soldier, he set an example every day — always the first to arrive and the last to leave, greeting every challenge with a smile and a readiness to support anyone who required assistance,” Wellens said. “He was the definition of a silent professional.”

Duenez had family in Joliet. He is survived by his wife, Kai, and 1-year-old son, Junior.

D’Arcy encouraged schools, churches, businesses, and others to honor Dueñez’s life during these days.

“It is up to all of us to unite in our appreciation for those who put their lives on the line all over the world to protect our freedoms here at home,” he stated in the release.

Visitation for Sgt. Dueñez, Jr. will be held on Thursday, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Tezak Funeral Home, located at 1211 Plainfield Road in Joliet.

Funeral services will be held on Friday with visitation at Word of Life Church, 1500 Cedarwood Drive, Crest Hill, from 10 to 11 a.m. Services will begin at 11 a.m., with cremation to follow.