HJ0110 LRB094 19900 DRJ 57518 r

1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Illinois State women have proudly served in
3 defense of our Nation since the Civil War, despite their lack
4 of military standing before the 1900s; and
 
5     WHEREAS, They served in all major conflicts in
6 ever-increasing numbers, volunteering to preserve our freedom;
7 and
 
8     WHEREAS, They served in expanding positions of
9 responsibility from laundresses and cooks to administrators,
10 from medical and technical personnel to full combatants; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Illinois State women contributed to establishing
12 and maintaining our independence, preserving the Union,
13 abolishing slavery, and advancing the cause of freedom and
14 democracy around the world; and
 
15     WHEREAS, In times of conflict, State of Illinois women
16 served the military as society permitted or as the situation
17 demanded; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Women came forward to replace men as battlefield
19 emergencies demanded and some even disguised their gender in
20 order to serve; others masked their identity, risking their
21 lives as couriers and intelligence agents; and
 
22     WHEREAS, The value of their contributions has finally been
23 recognized by their ever-increasing integration and
24 opportunities in the Armed Forces; and
 
25     WHEREAS, Women now make up over 15% of the active duty
26 force and about 23% of the reserve force, totaling over 203,000
27 women soldiers; and
 

 

 

HJ0110 - 2 - LRB094 19900 DRJ 57518 r

1     WHEREAS, Today women make up 7% of the United States
2 Veterans population; therefore, be it
 
3     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
5 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the General Assembly authorize
6 the construction of a memorial honoring women in military
7 service on a portion of the State-owned property in Oak Ridge
8 Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.