Afghanistan Veteran Becomes Illinois Special Education Teacher, Honored with Award (IL)

May 5, 2011

CHICAGO — A retired U.S. Army major and Chicago Public Schools teacher has been honored with the first-ever Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education.

The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs presented Aaron Rucker with the award on Tuesday. The 42-year-old was given the award in a ceremony at Marshall Metropolitan High School on Chicago’s West Side. He’s a special education teacher and teaches economics and history.

Rucker is a former special forces officer and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He also was honored as the Illinois Veteran of the Mon th for May.