| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General | ||||||
3 | Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals | ||||||
4 | who have served our country and our communities; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Veterans and leaders of the Fox Valley | ||||||
6 | communities, including but not limited to Aurora, Montgomery, | ||||||
7 | and Oswego alike, are remembering and honoring local veteran | ||||||
8 | Herschel Luckinbill; and
| ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma | ||||||
10 | on August 2, 1945; after graduating from high school, he | ||||||
11 | enlisted in the U.S. Navy and completed boot camp at the Great | ||||||
12 | Lakes Naval Training Center; he served two tours of duty | ||||||
13 | during the Vietnam War aboard the USS O'Brien, the first | ||||||
14 | American ship to receive direct hits from the enemy during the | ||||||
15 | Vietnam War on December 23, 1966; and
| ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, A long-time Montgomery resident, Herschel | ||||||
17 | Luckinbill embraced the work of the VFW and the American | ||||||
18 | Legion, serving 25 times as a guardian for World War II | ||||||
19 | veterans participating in Honor Flight Chicago; as an | ||||||
20 | ambassador and fundraiser for the program, he raised more than | ||||||
21 | $100,000 in donations for honor flights; and |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, In 2013, Herschel Luckinbill brought the | ||||||
2 | traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, | ||||||
3 | The Moving Wall, to Aurora, and more than 200,000 people | ||||||
4 | visited the site; he was honored for his work by State Rep. Kay | ||||||
5 | Hatcher of Yorkville and selected by the Illinois Department | ||||||
6 | of Veteran Affairs to serve as Veteran of the Month for the | ||||||
7 | State; that same year, he lead the efforts to restore the | ||||||
8 | Spanish-American War cannon that resides at the Riverside | ||||||
9 | Cemetery in Montgomery; the wagon was built in 1889 by the | ||||||
10 | Watervliet Arsenal in New York; the Rock Island Arsenal built | ||||||
11 | the carriage in 1887; and | ||||||
12 | WHEREAS, Herschell Luckinbill was instrumental in bringing | ||||||
13 | the traveling Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor to Illinois, | ||||||
14 | the first trip outside its home state; the Wall of Honor, a | ||||||
15 | visual tribute to military personnel who have died while | ||||||
16 | serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was on display in the atrium | ||||||
17 | of the Oswego Village Hall; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, Herschell Luckinbill was the leader of the Fox | ||||||
19 | Valley Veterans Breakfast Club; he assumed leadership of the | ||||||
20 | club from the late Senator Mitchler, a World War II veteran, | ||||||
21 | and helped it grow from a casual coffee club to an important | ||||||
22 | group in the Fox Valley communities; and
| ||||||
23 | WHEREAS, In June of 2017, Herschel Luckinbill brought The |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Moving Wall to Oswego, where, with the support of more than 700 | ||||||
2 | volunteers, 175,000 visitors learned about the Vietnam | ||||||
3 | Veterans Memorial and observed the names of those who made the | ||||||
4 | ultimate sacrifice; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, At the age of 75, Herschel Luckinbill died at his | ||||||
6 | Charlotte, Tennessee home; he is survived by his wife, Eva, | ||||||
7 | his sons, his grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and several | ||||||
8 | other family members; therefore, be it
| ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
10 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
11 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of | ||||||
12 | Route 30 in Kendall County from Douglas Road to River Road as | ||||||
13 | "Herschell Luckinbill Road"; and be it further | ||||||
14 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | ||||||
15 | is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with | ||||||
16 | state and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs | ||||||
17 | giving notice of the name "Herschell Luckinbill Road"; and be | ||||||
18 | it further
| ||||||
19 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
20 | presented to the family of Herschell Luckinbill and the | ||||||
21 | Secretary of Transportation.
|