Full Text of HR0799 93rd General Assembly
HR0799 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0799 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of Major | 4 |
| Arthur "Artie" Gene Ecklund; and | 5 |
| WHEREAS, Arthur "Artie" Ecklund was born in Galesburg on | 6 |
| May 5, 1943; and
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| WHEREAS, Major Ecklund was drafted into the United States | 8 |
| Army in 1966, attended basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and | 9 |
| was later commissioned as an officer at Fort Sill Oklahoma; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, Major Ecklund completed helicopter training at | 11 |
| Fort Walters, Texas and Fort Rucker, Alabama; he graduated from | 12 |
| training as a Huey gunship pilot to later serve his country as | 13 |
| an Army air control pilot in Vietnam; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, Major Ecklund arrived in Vietnam in November 1968 | 15 |
| with the 183rd Aviation Company of the United States Army's 1st | 16 |
| Aviation Brigade; and | 17 |
| WHEREAS, On April 3, 1969, Major Ecklund and his U.S. Air | 18 |
| Force observer, Captain Perry Jefferson, were flying a visual | 19 |
| reconnaissance mission out of Phan Pang airbase when their | 20 |
| helicopter was shot down by enemy fire; and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, Thirty-five years to the date of his | 22 |
| disappearance, on April 3, 2004, Major Ecklund was laid to | 23 |
| rest; and | 24 |
| WHEREAS, The family of Artie Ecklund remember him as a | 25 |
| devoted and generous son and brother, as well as an ambitious | 26 |
| and self sufficient individual; and | 27 |
| WHEREAS, 9,087,000 United States military personnel |
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| courageously served their nation in the conflict in Vietnam; | 2 |
| 58,169 military personnel were killed in the line of duty and | 3 |
| 1,870 were declared to be missing in action from this conflict; | 4 |
| therefore, be it | 5 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 6 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 7 |
| honor Major Arthur "Artie" Ecklund along with all who knew and | 8 |
| loved him and extend our sincere condolences to his family, | 9 |
| friends, and community; and be it further | 10 |
| RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Major Arthur Ecklund | 11 |
| and his willingness to serve our country, which led to him | 12 |
| making the ultimate sacrifice; and be it further | 13 |
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RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 |
| presented to the family of Major Arthur Ecklund as an | 15 |
| expression of our deepest sympathy and appreciation.
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