SJ0035 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0035 LRB103 32272 MST 61533 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to veterans who have served their country and the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Wilbur E. Troehler was born in the small farming town of Fairbury to parents Grover C. and Aline Troehler on March 3, 1916; he married Ruth M. Urban on February 21, 1941, and they settled in Chicago, where they had three sons, Eugene, William, and Robert; and

WHEREAS, SSG Troehler was inducted into the United States Army at Gary, Indiana on March 23, 1943; he received his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and advanced individual training at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky; upon completion of training, he was assigned to the 75th Infantry Division and further assigned to Company D, 289th Infantry Regiment; the 75th Infantry Division was activated April 15, 1943 and deployed overseas on November 14, 1944; and

WHEREAS, SSG Troehler entered combat as a Heavy Weapons NCO and Section Leader under the 75th Infantry Division on Christmas Day 1944 in the Ardennes Counter Offensive, later known as the Battle of the Bulge; and

WHEREAS, SSG Troehler returned to the U.S. in April 1945 after marching through England, France, Belgium, and Luxemburg; and

WHEREAS, SSG Troehler received numerous medals, including the Bronze Star, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Army Occupation Medal; and

WHEREAS, SSG Troehler received the Combat Infantry Badge, the Expert Infantry Badge, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge; he was also given the Honorable Service Lapel Button; and

WHEREAS, SSG Troehler passed away on April 13, 1989 in Chicago; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate U.S. Route 24 as it travels through Fairbury as the "SSG Wilbur E. Troehler Memorial Highway"; 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 "SSG Wilbur E. Troehler Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of SSG Troehler, the Mayor of Fairbury, and the Secretary of Transportation.