France honors Illinois WWII veteran who captured 21 Germans

CHICAGO (AP) - France is honoring a suburban Chicago veteran who single-handedly captured 21 German soldiers during World War II.

The Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/2smHxnH) reports that 92-year-old J. Herman Sitrick will receive the Legion d'Honneur from the French consul general in Chicago on Monday.

The Morton Grove man captured the Germans in 1945 in a Belgium farmhouse as the soldiers sought shelter from a snowstorm. Among the other places he fought was France.

Ron Sitrick says his father is humble about his war-time service. He calls the recognition of his heroics "astounding and touching."

The Legion d'Honneur is France's highest honor for military and civil service. Napoleon Bonaparte established it in 1802.

Sitrick still works at Sitrick Advertising in Skokie.

More than 50 relatives, friends and co-workers are expected to attend Monday's ceremony.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com