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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the
3end of World War II, and Illinois was one of the states deeply
4affected by the war effort; and
 
5    WHEREAS, When war was declared in December 1941, thousands
6of men from Illinois enlisted, and thousands more came through
7Illinois either en route to or arriving at training stations;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, By the end of 1945, Illinois had registered
101,954,674 men at separate local draft boards; of these, 629,516
11were called to serve; an additional 328,338 enlisted on their
12own, bringing the total number of men from Illinois entering
13the services to 957,854; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The number of Illinois women joining the military
15during the war was 13,587; counting those who already were in
16the military and those whose National Guard units were
17activated, Illinois supplied the U.S. Armed Forces with nearly
18one million of its citizens during the course of the war; and
 
19    WHEREAS, From December 7, 1941 through September 2, 1945,
2017,521 Illinois servicemen and women were killed in combat or
21later died of wounds or injuries sustained in battle; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Illinois was the home to several prisoner of war
2camps, including one a few miles outside of Peoria in
3Washington that operated from 1944 to 1945; the camp started
4with 50 German prisoners who helped make K-rations for the
5troops and expanded to over 200 prisoners of war; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In Peoria, production of earth-moving equipment
7made by Caterpillar had already accelerated in pace due to the
8federal Lend-Lease program, supplying goods and war materials
9to Allied countries; Caterpillar tractors were already being
10used by the Allies in the early stages of World War II, and
11once the United States entered the war, production escalated;
12bulldozers were vital to the war effort as they allowed the
13creation of air fields and the cleanup of debris after battle;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, It is important to thank and honor veterans of
16World War II, including personnel who were held as prisoners of
17war or listed as missing in action, for their service and
18sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank and honor
19the families of these veterans; and
 
20    WHEREAS, It is important to educate the public about the
21history of World War II and highlight the service of the Armed
22Forces during World War II and the contributions of federal

 

 

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1agencies and non-governmental organizations that served with,
2or in support of, the Armed Forces; and
 
3    WHEREAS, It is important to pay tribute to the
4contributions made on the home front by the people of the
5United States during World War II; and
 
6    WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the contributions and
7sacrifices made by the Allies of the United States during World
8War II; and
 
9    WHEREAS, It is important to remember the Holocaust, the
10annihilation of 6,000,000 Jews by the Nazi regime, and that the
11Nazis also slaughtered many other people based on their
12ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, and sexual
13orientations and to pay tribute to the Allied troops who
14liberated Nazi concentration camps during World War II; and
 
15    WHEREAS, It is in the public interest to ensure that this
16occasion is properly celebrated throughout the State; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Commemorative Medallions Act (15 ILCS 555)
18provides that the State Treasurer may issue medallions to
19commemorate popular contemporaneous events of statewide
20interest; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
2ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
3CONCURRING HEREIN, that the State Treasurer is authorized to
4issue official commemorative medallions honoring the 75th
5anniversary of the end of World War II; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That the State Treasurer shall contract for the
7production, marketing, distribution, and sale of the
8medallions; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we urge the National Veteran's Art Museum in
10Chicago be included in the process of designing the medallion;
11and be it further
 
12    RESOLVED, That we urge the State Treasurer to sell the
13medallions at a cost that is in excess of what it costs to
14produce each medallion and to distribute the excess equally
15between the Chicago Veterans Home Member Benefit Fund and the
16National Veteran's Art Museum; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18delivered to State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.