Full Text of HJR0088 97th General Assembly
HJ0088 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, It is necessary to honor and remember the military | 3 | | heroes of our State and country who have served with great | 4 | | dedication to preserving our liberties and freedoms; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Russell E. Dunham was born in 1920 in East | 6 | | Carondelet and raised on a small farm near Fosterburg; when he | 7 | | was 20 years old he enlisted in the United States Army; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Russell Dunham achieved the rank of Technical | 9 | | Sergeant and platoon leader with the 30th Infantry, 3rd | 10 | | Infantry Division, and saw combat in North Africa, Sicily, | 11 | | Italy, and France; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, On January 8th, 1945, Technical Sergeant Dunham's | 13 | | unit was pinned down between artillery fire and enemy machine | 14 | | gun nests at the base of snow-covered Hill 616 in | 15 | | Alsace-Lorraine near Kaysersberg, France; Technical Sergeant | 16 | | Dunham made the decision to advance single-handedly, using a | 17 | | white mattress as camouflage and cover; Technical Sergeant | 18 | | Dunham then preceded to neutralize all three machine gun | 19 | | emplacements using only his carbine and hand grenades, while | 20 | | being wounded by enemy fire in the process; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Technical Sergeant Dunham was awarded the Medal of |
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| 1 | | Honor 1945 for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk | 2 | | of life above and beyond the call of duty"; General Alexander | 3 | | Patch said, while he placed the award around Dunham's neck, | 4 | | that his actions had single-handedly saved the lives of 120 | 5 | | pinned-down US soldiers; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In addition to the Medal of Honor, Technical | 7 | | Sergeant Dunham was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, | 8 | | Purple Heart, and the Croix de Guerre for Heroism from the | 9 | | President of France for his valiant service during the Second | 10 | | World War; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, After his service, Technical Sergeant Dunham | 12 | | returned to west central Illinois, where he continued to serve | 13 | | his fellow soldiers by working as a benefits counselor with the | 14 | | Veterans Administration in St. Louis for 32 years; he also | 15 | | honored his fellow infantrymen by getting a monument erected at | 16 | | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery to honor those who served | 17 | | with the 3rd Infantry Division; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, He was an avid hunter and proud member of the | 19 | | Alton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1308; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, After his marriage to Mary Dunham ended, Technical | 21 | | Sergeant Dunham lived out the remainder of his life in Jersey | 22 | | County with his second wife, Wilda Long-Bazzell Dunham; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, He had a daughter, Mary Neal, with his first wife; | 2 | | and two stepchildren, Annette Wilson and David Bazzell; in | 3 | | addition, Technical Sergeant Dunham had 8 brothers, 5 sisters, | 4 | | and multiple grandchildren; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Technical Sergeant Dunham passed away in 2009 in | 6 | | Godfrey, at the age of 89; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, The members of this Body are humbled and honored | 8 | | by Technical Sergeant Russell Dunham's distinguished life and | 9 | | valiant military service; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, When completed, there shall be a section of | 11 | | Illinois State Highway 255 running between Seminary Road at | 12 | | Milepost 16 to U.S. Route 67 at Milepost 21; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 14 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 15 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that, when completed, the stretch of | 16 | | Illinois State Highway 255 between Mileposts 16 and 21 be | 17 | | designated the "Russell E. Dunham Memorial Highway"; and be it | 18 | | further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That, upon completion of the highway, the | 20 | | Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at |
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| 1 | | suitable locations, consistent with State and federal | 2 | | regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the | 3 | | name; and be it further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 5 | | presented to the Dunham family, the Village of Godfrey, the | 6 | | county boards of both Jersey and Madison Counties, and the | 7 | | Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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