ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A Marine veteran wants his foundation to continue the mission of preventing veteran suicide and supporting their mental health.
Allen J. Lynch received the Medal of Honor in December of 1967.
He then worked at the Veteran’s Drop-In Center in Rockford and later started a foundation.
The Allen J. Lynch Foundation awards grants to veterans in need of help with things like rent or car repairs.
Lynch said having a mission and a sense of community are crucial for those returning from combat.
“Making sure that that are the values, that we fought for and that our buddies died for and were wounded for, stay our values. That’s our mission in life, to make sure that our friends did not die in vain. And we have to be here to do that,” he said.
The foundation will hold a fundraising dinner on February 16th at the Hoffman House, with funds going toward grants and the Dark Horse Lodge, a Tennessee veterans retreat started by the parents of Byron High School graduate Alec Catherwood, who died in Afghanistan in 2010.