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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General 
3Assembly pays honor and respect to those who have served our 
4country and, in doing so, have made the ultimate sacrifice for 
5our nation; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Theodore Alexander 
7Katsoolias served in the U.S. Army as a member of 1st 
8Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division; and
 
9    WHEREAS, On November 25, 1950, approximately 300,000 
10Chinese Communist Forces launched a counteroffensive against 
11U.N. forces after crossing the Yalu River; SFC Katsoolias' 
12unit was positioned near the Chongchon River and soon came 
13under intense attack; unable to halt the enemy advance and in 
14danger of being surrounded, his unit pulled back and was 
15forced to fight against enemy pursuit while also attempting to 
16break through well-defended roadblocks; the withdrawal was not 
17complete until early December and inflicted extremely heavy 
18casualties on his unit; and
 
19    WHEREAS, SFC Katsoolias went missing at some point during 
20the withdrawal to Kujang; he was never reported as a prisoner 
21of war, and his remains have not been recovered; and
 
 
 
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1    WHEREAS, SFC Katsoolias is memorialized on the Courts of 
2the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific; 
3therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
5HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 
6SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Route 59 in West 
7Chicago from Route 38 to Route 64 as the "SFC Theodore A. 
8Katsoolias Memorial Highway"; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation 
10is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with 
11State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs 
12giving notice of the name "SFC Theodore A. Katsoolias Memorial 
13Highway"; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
15presented to the family of SFC Katsoolias, West Chicago Mayor 
16Ruben Pineda, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of 
17Transportation.