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Will cOunty
WWii veteran celebrates 100th birthday By MaRK gRegORy editorial director
@Hear_The_Beard mark@buglenewspapers.com An astounding 16 million Americans served in World War II in the mid 1940s and of those, only roughly 325,000 are still alive. Among those is Donald J. Breen, a proud veteran of WWII who turned 100 years old in August. Celebrating Breen’s legacy has been a challenge for family, friends and the staff at the Timbers of Shorewood where he resides. Originally, a large party was planned, but was derailed when the COVID-19 pandemic locked down the country in March. Then a birthday parade at the Timers was set for his birthday in August, but health issues postponed that. Finally, on November 1, Breen was able to celebrate and given the honor he deserved. As Breen sat bundled up under his United States Army blanket and donning his WWII Veteran hat, he sat and waved to a parade of well-wishers that was led by police and fire vehicles and followed by a seemingly neverending row of cars with signs, balloons and kids popping through sun roofs to wish Breen a happy birthday. “I never thought I would make it,” Breen said about making it to 100-years-old. “It was really nice. Everyone was moving so fast, but we had to keep it moving.” “This was just amazing,” said Breen’s daughter Sue Fritz said. “I was standing out there crying. There were just so many people that showed up and it wasn’t just family, it was friends and people that didn’t really even know him, but knew (his family) showed up — so it was amazing. He has a very impressive military record and he is very, very proud of it. His (WWII Veteran) hat that I bought him, he almost never takes it off. His story is recorded in the archives in Washington (D.C) because they wanted to get as many of the World War II guys as they could.” Breen joined the Army on Novem-
ber 12, 1942 and served in the European Theater, fighting at the Battle of the Bulge and liberating the prisoners at Buchenwald. In the span of nearly two months time in the end of 1944 and beginning of 1945, 89,500 American soldiers were killed, wounded, missing or captured in the Battle of the Bulge — the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States in World War II and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. At the time, Breen was a 24-yearold soldier serving under General George S. Patton with the 80th Infantry, Blue Ridge Division making less than $50 per month for fighting on the front lines. “My brother went in before I did and he was making $21 a month,” Breen said. “Then they raised it to $30 with an extra $10 for being on the front line because they had no volunteers.” Breen was discharged from the Army on January 3, 1946 with a rank of Buck Sergeant. For his service, Breen was awarded the American Campaign Medal for the European, African, Middle Eastern Theater, two bronze battle stars, the Good Conduct medal and the World War II Victory Medal. When he got out, Breen married his wife Jeanette, who died on November 18, 2019 after 68 years of marriage. The couple lived in the Joliet area. He has two daughters Sharon (Steve) Lorenz, Sue (Jim) Fritz, four grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren. “As long as they are OK, that’s all that matters,” Breen said. Breen has been a resident of the Timbers of Shorewood since 2017 and is known for making his own wine mixes around the residence. Fritz said the Timbers planned everything for the birthday celebration including a vocalist and presentations by State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and State Representative Mark Batnick. “They did everything for us, all we had to do was show up,” she said.
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silver cross announces new advanced wound healing center with Restorixhealth Silver Cross Hospital is pleased to announce the opening of its newly enhanced Silver Cross Center for Advanced Wound Healing in partnership with RestorixHealth. The center provides state-of-the-art wound healing care to area residents close to home. New Features at the Silver Cross Center for Advanced Wound Healing Innovative Care: Through this partnership with RestorixHealth, patients will now have access to more advanced healing services for non-healing wounds and other related conditions that have not responded to conventional treatment. Known for excellence in all aspects of wound care, RestorixHealth is one of the nation’s leading providers of management services for comprehensive wound care and amputation prevention. RestorixHealth brings more than 20 years of experience in wound care, currently managing more than 200 wound healing centers in hospital and health systems throughout the country. Clinical Expertise Onsite: The enhanced Silver Cross Center for Advanced Wound Healing is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses with advanced training in wound care. Integrating a team of wound care clinicians optimizes patient care, while offering the most advanced healing options. “Through this partnership, we
are excited to incorporate RestorixHealth’s best practices to treat wounds that are especially difficult to heal, such as diabetic, venous and pressure ulcers,” said
Dr. Erik Borncamp, general surgeon and Medical Director for the Silver Cross Center for Advanced
see ‘ WOund’ page 7
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‘ wound’ from page 5 Wound Healing. “Patient progress reports will be provided on a regular basis and upon completion of their treatment, our patients will be discharged back to their referring clinician’s care.” Dedication to Improve Patients’ Quality of Life: The center will utilize RestorixHealth’s evidence-based best practices and advanced therapies to develop individualized treatment plans for faster healing so patients can return to their daily lives and enjoy what they care about most. “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to expanding access to care for patients suffering with non-healing wounds,” said RestorixHealth’s Senior Vice President of Business Development Leigh Eckley. “We are excited to serve the residents of Will and
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