SJ0028 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0028 LRB102 18159 MST 25633 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest award for valor and is presented to veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States for "acting with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of one's life during combat with an enemy of the United States"; and

WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation into law in 1861 and 1862 creating the Medal of Honor and was laid to rest in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois in 1865; and

WHEREAS, The Medal of Honor is widely respected by the military and public alike; and

WHEREAS, 108 Medal of Honor recipients were born in Illinois, 209 recipients entered service from Illinois, and 110 recipients were laid to rest in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Medal of Honor recipients with connections to Illinois served during 11 wars, from the Civil War to the Vietnam War, over a period of 114 years; and

WHEREAS, Two Medal of Honor recipients who were born in or who entered service from Illinois, received their Medal of Honor awards for valor in Vietnam and are included in the 71 recipients of all wars living in our nation today; and

WHEREAS, Two of the Illinois Medal of Honor recipients who earned their Medal of Honor awards in Vietnam either entered service from Chicago or were born in Chicago, which is located on U.S. Highway 20; and

WHEREAS, The nonprofit Bend Heroes Foundation and the Oregon Legislature created a law designating all 451 miles of the border to border U.S. Highway 20 in Oregon as the Oregon Medal of Honor Highway, a first in our nation to honor all of a state's Medal of Honor recipients; and

WHEREAS, The Oregon law envisioned that a first ever national Medal of Honor Highway would be created on the 3,365 mile U.S. Highway 20, the longest highway in the United States, if all 11 states east of Oregon and through which U.S. Highway 20 traverses designate border to border Medal of Honor highways in their states; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has not dedicated a border to border highway to honor all of its Medal of Honor recipients; and

WHEREAS, A 234 mile border to border Illinois Medal of Honor highway on U.S. Highway 20 would honor current and future Medal of Honor recipients from Illinois and would also facilitate the 3,365 mile National Medal of Honor Highway across America; and

WHEREAS, Illinois deeply appreciates the service and sacrifice of its Medal of Honor recipients and the positive roles they have played in their communities for over 110 years; and

WHEREAS, Illinois veterans have offered to pay the cost to create and install the Illinois Medal of Honor Highway signs; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the entire portion of U.S. Highway 20 in Illinois beginning at the Illinois/Iowa border and ending at the Illinois/Indiana border as the "Illinois Medal of Honor Highway", honoring current and future Medal of Honor recipients from Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name "Illinois Medal of Honor Highway"; if appropriate and possible, the signs will include the three versions of the logos displaying a Medal of Honor; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and the President of the Illinois Council of Chapters of the Military Officers Association of America.