Full Text of HR1559 95th General Assembly
HR1559 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to congratulate Edward A. Bilotti | 4 |
| of Midlothian on the occasion of being awarded a Bronze Star, | 5 |
| Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman's Badge in April of 2008 | 6 |
| for his service in the U.S. Army during World War II; and
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| WHEREAS, Edward A. Bilotti was born in Blue Island on | 8 |
| November 22, 1925; he attended St. Benedict Grammar School and | 9 |
| Blue Island Community High School; in 1941, he and his family | 10 |
| moved to Midlothian; he worked with his father in his father's | 11 |
| shoe repair shop until he went into the United States Army; and
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| WHEREAS, Edward A. Bilotti was drafted into the U.S. Army | 13 |
| on April 18, 1944; he was placed into the famous 10th Mountain | 14 |
| Division, 87th Regiment, Company B; after going through basic | 15 |
| training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson near Little Rock, Arkansas, | 16 |
| he joined the 10th Division at Camp Swift near Austin, Texas, | 17 |
| where he participated in mountain training; and
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| WHEREAS, In December of 1944, Edward A. Bilotti and the | 19 |
| 10th Mountain Division left Newport News, Virginia aboard the | 20 |
| ocean liner West Point and embarked for Italy; upon arrival in | 21 |
| Naples, Italy, Mr. Bilotti and his division took an Italian | 22 |
| ship to Leghorn, where they got into trucks and traveled up and |
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| down the hills of Italy; and
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| WHEREAS, On April 17, 1945, during a period of heavy | 3 |
| fighting against the Germans in the Le Coste area, Edward A. | 4 |
| Bilotti was severely wounded after a mortar round hit a tree; | 5 |
| after suffering shrapnel wounds in his back, shoulder, head, | 6 |
| and legs, he was taken to a station hospital behind the front | 7 |
| lines and treated; the fighting that occurred on that day would | 8 |
| be known as the division's bloodiest day, with 290 soldiers | 9 |
| killed in action and 1,059 wounded; Mr. Bilotti received the | 10 |
| Purple Heart for the wounds that he suffered during action in | 11 |
| Italy; and | 12 |
| WHEREAS, After receiving his injuries, Edward A. Bilotti | 13 |
| sailed home aboard the hospital ship Thistle and docked in | 14 |
| Charleston, South Carolina; he then traveled to Topeka, Kansas | 15 |
| for rehabilitation, then to Fort Custer, Michigan for | 16 |
| convalescence; after recovering from his wounds, he was | 17 |
| discharged from the U.S. Army; and
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| WHEREAS, After his discharge, Edward A. Bilotti and his | 19 |
| brother Al opened a shoe store; after splitting apart, Mr. | 20 |
| Bilotti opened a shoe repair shop in Palos Heights, operating | 21 |
| the shop until he sold it in 1995; today, he still keeps active | 22 |
| at a group at St. Christopher Parish called the Coffee House, | 23 |
| which meets with handicapped adults in the Midlothian area once |
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| a month to socialize; and | 2 |
| WHEREAS, Edward A. Bilotti has been a lifetime member of | 3 |
| the Disabled American Veterans Association; and
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| WHEREAS, Edward A. Bilotti married Catherine Kendall on May | 5 |
| 7, 1949 at St. Christopher Church; together, they have three | 6 |
| children, Richard, Margaret, and Diane, and two grandchildren, | 7 |
| Patrick and Gina; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, Edward A. Bilotti serves as a model of patriotism, | 9 |
| integrity, and courage for the people of the State of Illinois; | 10 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 12 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 13 |
| congratulate Edward A. Bilotti of Midlothian on the occasion of | 14 |
| being awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat | 15 |
| Infantryman's Badge in April of 2008 for his service in the | 16 |
| U.S. Army during World War II and wish him many happy and | 17 |
| healthy years to come; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 |
| presented to Edward A. Bilotti as a symbol of our esteem and | 20 |
| respect.
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