HR0456 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0456 LRB099 12254 GRL 35138 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize George Klein for his service during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944; and

WHEREAS, George Klein was born in Detroit, Michigan; he and his mother moved to the Chicago area when he was 2 years old; in February of 1938, shortly after completing high school, he enlisted in the United States Army National Guard and was assigned to a horse-drawn artillery unit; he was subsequently transferred to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he completed Officer Candidate School; afterwards, he volunteered to join the 2nd Ranger Battalion in April of 1943; and

WHEREAS, After training at Camp Forrest in Tennessee with the 5th Ranger Battalion, George Klein and his division were sent overseas to undergo extensive training on the Isle of Wight and in Devonshire, England; on the Isle of Wight, the men endured rigorous training as they prepared for the cliff assault that they would face when landing at Pointe Du Hoc; during a training run of scaling the cliffs, he fell and broke his ankle, causing him to spend several months recuperating from the fracture; after recovering from his injury, he was then placed in the 5th Ranger Battalion and traveled with this unit to Ireland for additional training; in February of 1944, he was reunited with the 2nd Ranger Battalion; and

WHEREAS, On June 6, 1944, George Klein was onboard Landing Craft Assault #884 heading towards the amphibious landing at Pointe Du Hoc in Normandy, France; as a Second Lieutenant, he was the platoon leader for Fox Company; rough waves made an accurate landing nearly impossible for the armed forces set to land on the beach that morning; once at Pointe Du Hoc, the enemy forces began firing at full force, forcing the men to quickly alter the plan they had spent months preparing for; forced to improvise, he rushed through and began scaling the 100-foot cliff; once on top, he continued the battle; later that afternoon, he was wounded by an attack from a German soldier, who punctured his right leg with his bayonet; for 2 days, Mr. Klein had to wait to be evacuated from the battlefield and was only able to wrap his wounded leg in a bandage until he was able to receive proper medical attention; he was subsequently sent to recover in a field hospital in England for a month before he was sent back over to France to fight with the 5th Ranger Battalion in July of 1944; he continued to fight with this division until France was liberated on August 19, 1944; he was the recipient of 2 Purple Hearts for his valiant actions during the war; and

WHEREAS, After the war, George Klein returned home to Chicago, married his wife, Barbara, and raised a son and daughter; he spent another 15 years in the United States Army Reserve before retiring around 1960, having attained the rank of Captain; he later embarked on a career in the lighting business through a company called Lightolier, remaining there until 1986; following his retirement, he continued to help people by volunteering through the Service Corps of Retired Executives for 20 years, helping small businesses succeed in the business world; and

WHEREAS, George Klein was invited to the major anniversary celebration of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 2014, but fell ill and was unable to make the trip; he plans to complete the trip in 2015 during the 71st anniversary of the D-Day invasion; and

WHEREAS, George Klein's patriotism and courage serves as a model for the members of this body and the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize George Klein for his service during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 and wish him well on his trip to Normandy on June 6, 2015; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to George Klein as a symbol of our esteem and respect.