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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
4death of Private First Class Florentino John Santana in Vietnam
5on September 18, 1966; and
 
6    WHEREAS, During the summer of 1966, the North Vietnamese
7Army's (NVA) 324B Division had infiltrated south of the
8Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with the clear intention of setting up
9a major presence in northern Quang Tri Province; the NVA 341st
10Division was positioned within and north of the DMZ and
11prepared to support the 324B Division and/or exploit
12opportunities arising from the 324B's operations; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Commanding General of the Third Marine
14Amphibious Force, the senior United States commander in
15northern South Vietnam, initiated Operation HASTINGS aimed at
16discouraging the 324B Division and forcing it back into the DMZ
17(at the time, U.S. forces could not enter into the DMZ - it was
18an NVA sanctuary); heavy fighting continued through July of
191966, particularly around the "Rockpile" between Khe Sanh and
20Camp Carroll. HASTINGS ended, and a series of recon-in-force
21operations - termed Operation PRAIRIE - began on August 3,
221966; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Operation DECKHOUSE IV was conducted by the 7th
2Fleet's Special Landing Force Bravo (Battalion Landing Team
31/26) as an adjunct to Operation PRAIRIE; BLT 1/26's area was
4about 8 miles northeast of Dong Ha, and the operation began
5with an amphibious landing and a heliborne landing some six
6miles inland west of Highway 1; at about 1:30pm on September
715, 1966, a reconnaissance team made contact with an NVA
8company; that contact was the first in what became 10 days of
9heavy fighting for BLT 1/26's Marines and sailors; although
10DECKHOUSE IV officially ended on the 18th, BLT 1/26 stayed in
11support of PRAIRIE until the 25th; the operation claimed at
12least 200 NVA killed at a cost of 37 Marines and sailors killed
13in action and another 167 wounded; Pfc. Santana was among those
14killed in action; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Pfc. Santana was born in Mission Hidalgo County,
16Texas on June 20, 1947 to Mr. and Mrs. Baldemar Santana; he had
172 sisters, Mary and Alma; he attended Elgin High School and
18joined the United States Marines in August of 1965; he and his
19wife, Donna Lou Dewis, had one daughter, Pauline Katherine;
20therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
23commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Private First
24Class Florentino John Santana in Vietnam on September 18, 1966;

 

 

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1and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3presented to the family of Pfc. Santana as an expression of our
4esteem and respect.