Their Story
Remembering Russell M. Raines.
Russell Matthew Raines, 33, of Palatine, Illinois passed away unexpectedly on September 10, 2019. He was born in Shreveport, LA on November 25, 1985. He was a proud graduate of C.E. Byrd High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from the United States Military Academy.
At C.E. Byrd, he was Key Club President and was selected for the all-district and academic all-state football teams. He finished at West Point as a distinguished cadet achieving a 3.9 GPA and a final class rank of 32. He was also selected to the All-Collegiate Sprint Football League Team in 2007.
Upon graduation, he achieved a rank of Captain in the United States Army, and received the Bronze Star Medal for his excellent service as a platoon leader for the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment during his year of service in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He finished six years of service to our nation as a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, where he received the Army Commendation Medal for his role in completing storm damage risk reduction systems during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Upon being honorably discharged from the Army he settled in Chicago, Illinois to be with his daughter, and had a career as a building systems and controls engineer.