Will County Gazette

Local VFW Post 5917 Commander John Davin and Junior Vice Commander Greg Palmer of Illinois American Legion Post 1288 were at the Village of Bolingbrook Mayor and Board of Trustee meeting on May 23, where they awarded three members of the community for their annual public service awards.

“Every year, the veterans of Bolingbrook honor a policeman, a fireman, and a Village Worker of the Year. It's far too often we pick up the newspaper and all we do is read trash in it. Nothing in it that people do good,” Davin said. “The same on the news. We're here to honor our firemen, our policemen and our village worker. They're the ones that keep our village safe. They're the ones that's out there when the weather's bad, there's ones that are out there when you need someone to help you. And we're honored to do this.”

The first honored was Bolingbrook Fire Department Engineer Jason Fuggiti. He started with the Bolingbrook Fire Department in 2007 when he was a firefighter paramedic and was promoted in 2020. Fuggiti, his wife and two daughters live in Plainfield where they spend much of their time enjoying the outdoors. Fuggiti has received many commendations and certifications on the job. He handles maintenance, upkeep and acquiring duty vehicles and equipment for the fire department.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank the VFW and the American Legion for the awards. I'm completely honored. And thank you, gentlemen, for your service,” Fuggiti said when accepting the award. “Secondly, I would like to thank all the members of the Bolingbrook Fire Department for nominating me. It's truly an honor and I'm truly humbled by it.” 

Officer Peter Moranda was awarded by the Bolingbrook Police Department. He has been with the police department since 2006, and has served as a training officer, REACT team member, honor guard member, and taser instructor, along with many other positions. 

Officer Moranda received a life-saving award, and was the 2013 Officer of the Year, and has received a number of other accolades during his time. He and his girlfriend enjoy watching their son play hockey, Moranda’s favorite sport, in their downtime. 

“All I can say is that I did not have the courage to serve when I was younger, so I truly respect and am grateful for everything men like the men standing behind me have done for our country and the freedoms myself and my family enjoy,” Moranda said during his recognition speech. “And because of that, I couldn't think of a better award to get.”

From the Public Works Department, Michael London was honored with the 2023 award. He came from a military family with two parents in different branches, and this led him to grow up all around the country. London served from 1990 to 1993 in the U.S. Army, which included Desert Storm. He started working in the village in 1996 as a maintenance worker and was promoted in 2002 to equipment operator for the Asphalt Division. London was named equipment operator fourth class in 2006 and has aspirations to become a foreman.

“I’ve enjoyed all my years of helping take care of this community,” London said.