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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and raged | ||||||
3 | for 3 bloody years; 1.5 million United States soldiers, | ||||||
4 | including thousands from the State of Illinois, answered the | ||||||
5 | call to arms during the war; and
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6 | WHEREAS, 54,246 United States citizens, including 1,754 | ||||||
7 | Illinois residents, lost their lives while fighting in Korea; | ||||||
8 | and
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9 | WHEREAS, A total of 103,284 United States soldiers were | ||||||
10 | wounded during the fighting in Korea, with 7,140 soldiers taken | ||||||
11 | prisoner and 8,177 soldiers listed as missing in action; and
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12 | WHEREAS, A total of 131 Medals of Honor were given to | ||||||
13 | United States soldiers fighting in Korea for acts of | ||||||
14 | exceptional bravery and courage, with 93 Medals of Honor given | ||||||
15 | posthumously; 8 Medals of Honor were given to soldiers from | ||||||
16 | Illinois, with 6 given posthumously; and
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17 | WHEREAS, The service and sacrifice of United States | ||||||
18 | soldiers during the Korean War is equal to the service and | ||||||
19 | sacrifice of United States soldiers in any of our nation's wars | ||||||
20 | throughout our history; and
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1 | WHEREAS, The number of living Korean War veterans continues | ||||||
2 | to dwindle each year, depriving those deceased warriors the | ||||||
3 | opportunity to share their experiences and to accept the thanks | ||||||
4 | for their service from a grateful nation; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The Korean War is often referred to as "The | ||||||
6 | Forgotten War" because it fell between the conclusion of World | ||||||
7 | War II and the beginning of the Vietnam War, and because the | ||||||
8 | shaky truce that ended open hostilities in 1953 left the | ||||||
9 | conflict without official closure; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean | ||||||
11 | War occurs on June 25, 2010; and
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12 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is commemorating the 60th | ||||||
13 | anniversary of the Korean War by supplying information each | ||||||
14 | month about the State's involvement in the conflict, starting | ||||||
15 | in June 2010 and running through July 2013, to the State's | ||||||
16 | newspapers, radio, and TV stations; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the | ||||||
18 | Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Illinois Korean | ||||||
19 | Memorial Association, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential | ||||||
20 | Library and Museum, along with the Illinois Press Association | ||||||
21 | and the Illinois Broadcasters Association, are sponsoring | ||||||
22 | "Illinois Remembers the Forgotten War" to ensure that "The |
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1 | Forgotten War" is no longer forgotten in Illinois; therefore, | ||||||
2 | be it
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3 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
4 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
5 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the date of June | ||||||
6 | 25, 2010 as Korean War Remembrance Day in the State of | ||||||
7 | Illinois; and be it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That we encourage all Illinois residents to | ||||||
9 | remember and appreciate the brave men and women who served | ||||||
10 | honorably and paid the ultimate price defending our freedom | ||||||
11 | during the Korean War to ensure that this generation, and those | ||||||
12 | to follow, never forget these heroes and the values for which | ||||||
13 | they fought.
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