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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Interstate 57 is a major thoroughfare in the | ||||||
3 | United States interstate system of roads which, in part, is | ||||||
4 | situated through sections of the south side of Chicago and | ||||||
5 | through the City of Rantoul, tracing along the route of the | ||||||
6 | former Illinois Central railroad line; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The "Tuskegee Airmen" is the popular name of a | ||||||
8 | group of African American pilots who fought in World War II; | ||||||
9 | formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th | ||||||
10 | Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps; the Tuskegee | ||||||
11 | Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who enlisted to | ||||||
12 | become America's first black military airmen; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African | ||||||
14 | American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces; | ||||||
15 | during World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states were | ||||||
16 | still subject to racist Jim Crow laws; the American military | ||||||
17 | was no exception, as it too was racially segregated along with | ||||||
18 | much of the federal government; the Tuskegee Airmen were | ||||||
19 | subject to racial discrimination, both within and outside the | ||||||
20 | Army; despite these adversities, they trained and flew with | ||||||
21 | distinction; each of the men possessed a strong personal desire | ||||||
22 | to serve the United States to the best of his ability; and
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1 | WHEREAS, By the spring of 1944 the all-black 332nd Fighter | ||||||
2 | Group had
been sent overseas with three fighter squadrons: the | ||||||
3 | 100th, 301st and
302nd; these squadrons were moved to mainland | ||||||
4 | Italy, where the 99th
Fighter Squadron, assigned to the group | ||||||
5 | on May 1, 1944, joined them on
June 6, at Rarnitelli Airfield, | ||||||
6 | near Termoli, on the Adriatic coast; from Rarnitelli, the 332nd | ||||||
7 | Fighter Group escorted the Fifteenth Air
Force heavy strategic | ||||||
8 | bombing raids into Czechoslovakia, Austria,
Hungary, Poland, | ||||||
9 | and Germany; flying escort for heavy bombers, the
332nd earned | ||||||
10 | an impressive combat record; the Allies called
these airmen | ||||||
11 | "Red Tails" or "Red-Tail Angels" because of the
distinctive | ||||||
12 | crimson paint predominately applied on the tail
section of the | ||||||
13 | unit's aircraft; these assignments marked the
first aerial | ||||||
14 | combat missions ever carried out by African
American pilots; | ||||||
15 | and | ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, 996 pilots in total were trained in Tuskegee from | ||||||
17 | 1941
to 1946, approximately 445 were deployed overseas, and 150
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18 | Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat; the blood cost
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19 | included 66 pilots killed in action or accidents, and
32 fallen | ||||||
20 | into captivity as prisoners of war; the
Tuskegee Airmen were | ||||||
21 | credited by higher commands with the
following | ||||||
22 | accomplishments: | ||||||
23 | 15,533 combat sorties and 1578 missions; | ||||||
24 | 112 German aircraft destroyed in the
air and another | ||||||
25 | 150 on the ground; |
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1 | 950 railcars, trucks, and other motor
vehicles | ||||||
2 | destroyed; | ||||||
3 | One destroyer sunk by P-47 machine gun fire; | ||||||
4 | A nearly perfect record of not losing U.S. bombers; and | ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Awards and decorations awarded for valor and | ||||||
6 | performance
included: | ||||||
7 | Three Distinguished Unit Citations (99th Pursuit | ||||||
8 | Squadron: May 30-June 11, 1943 for the capture
of | ||||||
9 | Pantelleria, Italy; 99th Fighter Squadron: May 12-14, 1944 | ||||||
10 | for successful air
strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy; | ||||||
11 | and
332d Fighter Group: March 24, 1945 for the longest | ||||||
12 | bomber
escort mission of World War II); | ||||||
13 | At least one Silver Star; | ||||||
14 | An estimated 150 Distinguished Flying
Crosses; | ||||||
15 | 14 Bronze Stars; | ||||||
16 | 744 Air Medals; | ||||||
17 | 8 Purple Hearts; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, After the end of World War II, black airmen | ||||||
19 | returned to the United States and once again faced racism and | ||||||
20 | hatred, despite their outstanding service record; and
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21 | WHEREAS, These brave men deserve to be recognized by the | ||||||
22 | State of Illinois for their service to their country during | ||||||
23 | wartime; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Kentucky became the first state to honor the | ||||||
2 | Tuskegee Airmen when it named U.S. Interstate 75 the "Tuskegee | ||||||
3 | Airmen Memorial Trail" in 2010; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, Rantoul is the location of Chanute Field, where | ||||||
5 | the first unit of the
Tuskegee Airmen, the 99th Pursuit | ||||||
6 | Squadron, was activated on March 19, 1941; over 250
enlisted | ||||||
7 | men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground support trades | ||||||
8 | before all
operations were moved to Tuskegee, Alabama; | ||||||
9 | therefore, be it | ||||||
10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
11 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
12 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of | ||||||
13 | Interstate 57 between Exit 250 at U.S. Route 136 in Rantoul and | ||||||
14 | Exit 358 at Wentworth Avenue in Chicago as the Tuskegee Airmen | ||||||
15 | Memorial Trail; and be it further
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16 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | ||||||
17 | is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with | ||||||
18 | State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs | ||||||
19 | giving notice of the name of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial | ||||||
20 | Trail; and be it further | ||||||
21 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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1 | presented to the Secretary of the Illinois Department of | ||||||
2 | Transportation and the Chicago "DODO" Chapter of the Tuskegee | ||||||
3 | Airmen, Incorporated.
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