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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

 

 

HJ0028 - 2 - LRB095 11293 DRJ 31901 r

1 lives as couriers and intelligence agents; and
 
2     WHEREAS, The value of their contributions has finally been
3 recognized by their ever-increasing integration and
4 opportunities in the Armed Forces; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Women now make up over 15% of the active duty
6 force and about 23% of the reserve force, totaling over 203,000
7 women soldiers; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Today women make up 7% of the United States
9 Veterans population; therefore, be it
 
10     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
12 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the General Assembly authorize
13 the construction of a memorial honoring women in military
14 service on a portion of the State-owned property in Oak Ridge
15 Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.