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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that we as a State and as | ||||||
| 3 | individual citizens pay honor and respect to the men and women | ||||||
| 4 | who have served our nation; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Many veterans returning from active duty | ||||||
| 6 | experience not only
physical ailments but psychological ones as | ||||||
| 7 | well, such as posttraumatic
stress disorder, anxiety, | ||||||
| 8 | depression, and difficulty
readjusting to civilian life in | ||||||
| 9 | general; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, For some of these veterans, these psychological | ||||||
| 11 | ailments turn
into chronic mental illnesses which can | ||||||
| 12 | tragically result in death
from suicide; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Between 2008 and 2016, there were more than 6,000 | ||||||
| 14 | veteran
suicides each year across the United States; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, In 2016, the most recent year for which data is | ||||||
| 16 | available, the suicide rate for
veterans was 1.5 times greater | ||||||
| 17 | than non-veterans and accounted for 14
percent of all adult | ||||||
| 18 | suicide deaths in the U.S. even though only eight
percent of | ||||||
| 19 | the country's population has served in the military; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, In 2016, 6,079 veterans tragically lost their | ||||||
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| 1 | lives to suicide
in the United States with 162 veterans dying | ||||||
| 2 | by suicide in the State
of Illinois; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, While there are many wonderful and fitting | ||||||
| 4 | memorials and
tributes to our nation's greatest heroes at Oak | ||||||
| 5 | Ridge Cemetery, there
is no memorial for veterans who have died | ||||||
| 6 | from suicide; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, These brave service members deserve to be | ||||||
| 8 | remembered and
honored for the great sacrifices they made | ||||||
| 9 | serving this country; therefore, be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 11 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 12 | we support veterans
currently struggling with mental illness | ||||||
| 13 | and thoughts of suicide and
pay tribute to those veterans who | ||||||
| 14 | have sadly lost their lives to suicide; and be it further | ||||||
| 15 | RESOLVED, That we encourage the State
of Illinois to create | ||||||
| 16 | a memorial for veterans who have died of suicide
to be included | ||||||
| 17 | at Oak Ridge Cemetery where other war memorials
commemorate | ||||||
| 18 | Illinois' veterans; and be it further
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| 19 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of
this resolution be | ||||||
| 20 | delivered to every member of the General Assembly,
the | ||||||
| 21 | Governor, and the Director of Veteran
Affairs.
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