The Oak Brook Historical Society hosted its annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. in the Sam Dean Board Room at Oak Brook Village Hall. The program, was led by Historical Society Vice-President Lisa Griffith and Village President Herman, featured musical performances by the Butler Junior High Choir, and an invocation by Rev. Tim Perry, USAF veteran of the Gulf War. Guest speakers included distinguished veterans Wes Becton—U.S. Army Ranger School graduate, former Honor Guard Company Commander, longtime healthcare executive, and current board chairman for Elmhurst University—and Lori Tompos, a Gulf War I PATRIOT Missile System officer, West Point graduate, and pioneering leader in Combat Arms branches who now serves as Founder/CEO of Avail Consulting. Additional remarks were offered by Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis and Fire Battalion Chief Mike Pavlovic. The ceremony also included a presentation of the Veterans Honor Roll and a closing patriotic performance by the choir.

Guest Speaker Information:

Wes Becton
 

After earning his degrees from Valley Forge Military College, George Washington  University (B.A.), and Lewis University (M.B.A.), Becton served on active duty in the US Army for 8 years, and is a graduate of the US Army’s Ranger School. He served as a platoon leader in the Demilitarized Zone in Korea and later as the Commander of the U.S. Army’s Honor Guard Company. He spent more than 20 years as a healthcare executive, leading multispecialty physician practices and surgery centers and working in academic medicine, eventually serving as the President of an ophthalmology practice.  

Becton has significant governance experience and has served on several boards during his esteemed career. He continues to serve on the boards of The Commuter Rail Board  (Metra), New Directors Housing Corporation, Pan American Bank, and is the board chairman for Elmhurst University. 

As an adjunct faculty member at Lewis University, he has taught leadership and organizational behavior for over 20 years and is an active surveyor with the  Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare.  

Becton and his wife have been married for 36 years and have three adult children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. He is a frequent and passionate speaker and lecturer on leadership, inclusion, and innovation. 

Lori Tompos

Lori Tompos ran a PATRIOT Missile System during Desert Storm in Gulf War I.  She led 11 Infantrymen to set up the PATRIOT site in the Advanced Party.  She graduated with the first decade of women from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  As an Air Assault, Airborne, and Air Defense Artillery Officer, she was a true pioneer as one the first women ever in Combat Arms branches.  Today Lori is the Founder/CEO of Avail Consulting, where she is focused on helping leaders be more effective communicators and she teaches Corporate Communications for Project Managers at Elmhurst University. Presentation of the Veterans Honor Roll