April 10, 2013 – An early morning rain on April 9 did not prevent a group of 15 Concordia University Chicago football coaches and players from carrying out a heartfelt task. Joining in the remembrance for River Forest native Anne Smedinghoff, a United States diplomat who was killed recently in Afghanistan while on a mission to deliver books to school children, the Cougar football team tied white ribbons around the trees that dotted the periphery of campus and its surrounding streets.
           
The idea for the tribute came from head coach Randy Awrey in conversation with Jim Kiernan and Eric Hennessy. The two assistants had seen the ribbons that originally went up on the trees in the block where the Smedinghoff family resided.
             
“We felt that this was the right and honorable thing to do,” said Kiernan. “It's terrible when something like this happens anywhere, but when it happens in the community you live and work in, there is a real opportunity to act..

“We wanted to do this today and say thank you and honor her memory. It was also a chance to recognize the commitment of the men and women who serve in the military. We are very grateful for the supreme sacrifice she made while trying to help the children of Afghanistan, and we will remember her example.”