Fort Sheridan

The lake-front town offers hikes in its Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve, walks along its tranquil Lake Michigan waters and fine dining options like the historic Deer Path Inn, which has been rated no.

Several reserve units are all that remains of Fort Sheridan, named for the greatest 19th-century U.S. cavalry general.

Okay, now I’m home the day after I get out and I’ve got a buddy at Fort Sheridan nearby and I call to check in and he says, “Hey, guess what’s on post tonight? Gunga Din” “We’ll go,” I said.

“I’d like to walk in the back gate at Fort Sheridan, like I did almost 36 years ago, and say, ‘Yes, sir, I’ll go.’

He graduated from a Catholic preparatory school in 1945, then enlisted in the Army at Fort Sheridan, Ill., two months before the Japanese surrender ended World War II.