Round Lake Area Exchange Club honors two Hometown Heroes in November
The Round Lake Area Exchange Club will honor two Hometown Heroes for November: U.S. Marine PFC Guillermo Umanzor of Beach Park and U.S. Navy FMF Corpsman Dustin Bunnell of Round Lake Beach.
Umanzor graduated in 2013 from Zion-Benton High School, where he led the swim team as captain and broke the record in the 400 freestyle relay in 2013. In August 2014, he graduated infantry training as Company Bravo's Ironman, most physically fit Marine, with a perfect score of 300.
He serves in the USMCR at Fort Sheridan. Umanzor also works at Key Lime Cove in Gurnee, will enroll in paramedic/firefighter classes at the College of Lake County, is a peer minister at Our Lady of Humility Church in Beach Park and volunteers through church groups to build houses in Champaign. He was registered for this honor by his mother, Jessika Pencak, also of Beach Park.
Bunnell is a 2010 graduate from Round Lake High School and was in the drum line of the marching band. He enlisted shortly after graduation and was part of a special Navy swearing-in at U.S. Cellular Field in 2011. His boot camp division was sponsored by the White Sox.
He will deploy for a six-month tour with his infantry battalion. Bunnell is a "Devil Doc" with the 2nd Marines 4th Battalion and some of the awards he has earned are: Navy Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, pistol expert and rifle expert.
He plans to further his medical studies while in the Navy and once discharged hopes to serve his community in his area of medical specialty. He was registered for this honor by his mother, Elizabeth Zink, also of Round Lake Beach.
With the support of this month's sponsor, Dr. Connie Collins, Umanzor's "Hanging with the Heroes" care package will be filled with protein bars, chocolate, nutritional snacks and a gift card.
Lake Villa Timberwolves Varsity Cheer Team is sponsoring Bunnell's "Hanging with the Heroes" care package, which will be filled with beef jerky, power bars, sunflower seeds and snacks. The members of the team are also making a special gift for Bunnell.
Both packages also included is a personalized "Hanging with the Heroes" T-shirt donated by ArtRageous of Hainesville, letters from Round Lake Area Unit District 116 students, a specially made rosary for the military from Legion of Mary from St. Joseph's in Round Lake and a piece of home.
The Round Lake Area Exchange Club will present plaques to the families of both men Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 a.m. Panera Bread in Round Lake Beach.
The Round Lake Area Exchange Club wants to continue to honor our troops and needs the community's help in getting them signed up. If you have a neighbor, family member, friend, employee, employer, etc. serving in the military, register them by going to www.rlaexchange.org/hero.
Any and all military personnel serving overseas or in the USA from any of the Round Lake-area communities, Hainesville, Fox Lake, Ingleside or surrounding areas qualify for the program.
For information, visit the website or contact Sherry Ridge at (847) 740-2379.