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LANSING, Ill. – A man from Lansing went on a personal quest over decades to honor veterans from World War II.

With a flag as his canvas, Rob Stanley sought the stories and autographs of veterans from all over that time period.

Some of the names are very familiar.  President George H.W. Bush and movie star Tony Curtis are among the 168 autographs gracing his flag printed in 1942 by the Chicago Daily News.

With every hero, there’s a story.  Stanley tells the tale of Charles Lindberg who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima.  He also points to the signature of Charles “A-Train” Dryden, one of the Tuskegee airmen.

Stanley says he got many of the signatures with the help of the U.S. postal system.  He’d mail out his priceless flag and wait, sometimes for long periods, for it to reappear in his postal box.

“Even the mailman knew, and if it was raining out he’d make sure it got in the porch,” Stanley said.

He’s also the author of ‘Once Upon a Time in South Chicago’ – you can contact Rob Stanley by emailing him at: sochicago21@aol.com