On November 4, Trustees approved a Resolution commemorating the history of the Vernon Hills Athletic Complex (VHAC) in training naval aviators for combat during World War II. Thanks to the request of members of American Legion Vernon Post 1247, Cougar Way will now commemorate the USS Wolverine, while Nike Parkway will honor the USS Sable.
The Vernon Hills Athletic Complex once served as a military airfield. During World War II, approximately 17,820 naval aviators trained here for service in the Pacific. Young pilots were required to show proficiency in take offs and landings using training decks constructed on the ground within the VHAC airfield. Once they had mastered the ground-based training decks, naval aviators then moved to Lake Michigan, where they trained on two side-wheel steam powered cruise ships that were converted into aircraft carriers and re-christened as the USS Sable and the USS Wolverine.
Learn more by visiting ChicagoNavyMemorial.org
Photo below: Members of American Legion Vernon Post 1247 display the new honorary street signs
Photo below: USS Wolverine, courtesy ChicagoNavyMemorial.org
Photo below: USS Sable, courtesy ChicagoNavyMemorial.org