Full Text of HR0696 96th General Assembly
HR0696 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0696 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois House of Representatives wishes to | 3 |
| recognize the accomplishments of its distinguished residents | 4 |
| and their efforts to ensure that our country never forgets the | 5 |
| sacrifices made by the veterans of its Armed Forces; and
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| WHEREAS, Edward T. Meyers, Sr. of Joliet will celebrate his | 7 |
| 90th birthday on October 28, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Meyers was born on October 28, 1919, in | 9 |
| Joliet; he is the youngest child of Charles Meyers and | 10 |
| Elizabeth (McGee) Myers; and
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| WHEREAS, When World War II broke out, Mr. Meyers tried to | 12 |
| enlist, but was initially refused because of his poor eyesight; | 13 |
| however, as the war escalated, he was later drafted into the | 14 |
| U.S. Army in 1943 and assigned to the 65th Signal Battalion's | 15 |
| Company A; and
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| WHEREAS, Mr. Meyers did not have any previous skills in the | 17 |
| communications field, but his high grades earned him an offer | 18 |
| to attend Officers' Candidate School, which he declined; he had | 19 |
| a natural knack for figuring out how both mechanical and | 20 |
| electrical devices worked and could install virtually | 21 |
| anything, a skill he still has today; and |
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| WHEREAS, During World War II, the 65th Signal Battalion | 2 |
| Company A was assigned to Germany, where Mr. Meyers served 2 of | 3 |
| his 3 years of service; and
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| WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Meyers became a truck driver | 5 |
| and married Virginia Hill; he also gained a step-daughter, | 6 |
| Judy, and the couple had a son, Edward Jr.; Edward Sr. later | 7 |
| became a dispatch supervisor for a trucking company; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1970, Edward T. Meyers, Sr. responded to a call | 9 |
| from 3 of his fellow veterans, Jimmy Ford, Troy Spear, and Jim | 10 |
| Alstatt, who were organizing a reunion of the 65th Signal | 11 |
| Battalion Company A, by attending and assisting with the | 12 |
| reunions; and
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| WHEREAS, The first reunion was held in 1970 at Mammoth | 14 |
| Cave, Kentucky and lasted 4 days; the reunion was a big | 15 |
| success, with 45 heroes and families in attendance; as time | 16 |
| went by, Mr. Meyers assumed more reunion duties and other | 17 |
| companies asked to join the Company A reunions, resulting in | 18 |
| the entire 65th Signal Battalion companies reuniting annually; | 19 |
| and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, The stories told at these reunions were very sad; | 21 |
| veterans wept as they remembered how some of their comrades |
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| died in action; some were killed by snipers while perched atop | 2 |
| poles repairing or installing lines as the 65th Signal | 3 |
| Companies forged ahead into enemy lines to establish | 4 |
| communications for approaching friendly troops; and
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| WHEREAS, These surviving veterans felt that the great bond | 6 |
| forged among them was due to their dependence on each other to | 7 |
| stay alive; and
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| WHEREAS, All were devoted to their country, but, on an | 9 |
| individual basis, would do anything for each other; the trust | 10 |
| and loyalty shared among them is unmatched, as is their respect | 11 |
| for each other; and
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| WHEREAS, In the late 1980s, the original organizers of the | 13 |
| reunions of the 65th Battalion Companies passed away, leaving | 14 |
| Edward T. Meyers, Sr. as the reunion's main organizer; in this | 15 |
| role, he would send notices to the newsletter, visit the city | 16 |
| chosen for the next reunion, review proposed contracts from | 17 |
| several hotels, and complete the agreement that would meet the | 18 |
| reunion's needs; he helped arrange the events to be held, | 19 |
| collect fees for the dinner, and help arrange the reunion's | 20 |
| video presentations, speakers, and entertainment; and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, Edward T. Meyers, Sr. has been attending and | 22 |
| organizing reunions of the 65th Signal Companies for 39 years; |
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| next year's reunion will mark his 40th year; and
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| WHEREAS, Edward T. Meyers, Sr. still lives independently at | 3 |
| his home in Joliet; he has always kept his wife, Virginia, who | 4 |
| passed away in 1990, in his heart; he still enjoys spending | 5 |
| time with his granddaughter, Kim, and his great-grandchildren, | 6 |
| Keara and Kayla; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 8 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 9 |
| congratulate Edward T. Meyers, Sr. on the occasion of his 90th | 10 |
| birthday and salute his 39 years of service and loyal work in | 11 |
| organizing reunions for the 65th Signal Battalion; and be it | 12 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 |
| presented to Edward Meyers, Sr. as a symbol of our esteem and | 15 |
| respect.
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