Gurnee group giving to Honor Flight Chicago

About a dozen members of Gurnee’s Sons of the American Legion squadron will donate $3,000 to Honor Flight Chicago when veterans on today’s trip return from Washington, D.C.

Squadron 771’s Skip Fentress, who also is a Sons of the American Legion district commander, said the group raised the money through a raffle for a .45-caliber pistol early this year. He said a Cook County sheriff’s deputy won the gun.

“This is the first time we did (a raffle) for the Honor Flight and it worked out well,” Fentress said Tuesday.

Honor Flight Chicago is a nonprofit group that has flown more than 2,000 veterans for day trips to Washington since 2008. The flights are at no cost to the vets.

Nearly 100 World War II veterans from northern Illinois were scheduled on a flight from Midway Airport to Washington today. They’ll see the nation’s war memorials and be honored for their service.

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik plans to join the Sons of the American Legion members on a ride from the village to Midway to greet Honor Flight Chicago upon its return at 8:35 p.m. Kovarik has arranged free transportation for the group.

Fentress said the $3,000 check will be presented to Mary Pettinato, who with three friends founded Honor Flight Chicago about three years ago as a way to celebrate the region’s veterans, particularly those who served in World War II.

Kovarik said her father was a World War II veteran, which is one reason she supports Honor Flight Chicago. Her father died before the World War II Memorial opened in Washington in 2004.

“I don’t want any other (World War II) veterans to miss out on the opportunity so see this beautiful memorial in D.C.,” Kovarik said. “This (Honor Flight Chicago) is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for all that these men and women sacrificed for our country and for us.”