Quinn off to visit troops in Germany

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is going to Germany to visit U.S. troops before the holidays. And a spokeswoman says he is paying for the trip himself.

Quinn's office says the governor will leave from Chicago on Monday afternoon for the trip. The governor plans to hand-deliver thousands of holiday cards from Illinois schoolchildren to service members, doctors and staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

The trip will be Quinn's sixth to visit wounded veterans at the medical center.

On Sunday, Quinn urged Illinois residents to donate their unused frequent flyer miles to the Operation Hero Miles program so that wounded soldiers and their families could travel to see one another.