Full Text of HR0612 97th General Assembly
HR0612 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Edwin J. Fizer and | 4 | | the members of the Montford Point Marines on the occasion of | 5 | | receiving the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States | 6 | | Congress on October 25, 2011; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, When the United States entered World War II in | 8 | | December of 1941, Edwin Fizer, a native of New Orleans, | 9 | | Louisiana, joined approximately 20,000 other recruits who | 10 | | became the first African-Americans to enlist in the United | 11 | | States Marine Corps; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Edwin Fizer left segregated Louisiana to begin | 13 | | boot camp, only to be met with the full hostility of his drill | 14 | | instructors at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina; despite constant | 15 | | insults and insidious racism, he underwent training in field | 16 | | artillery and anti-aircraft weapons at Montford Point, a strip | 17 | | of land near Camp Lejeune that was used to train | 18 | | African-American soldiers during the war; through his efforts, | 19 | | he rose to the rank of Sergeant, which was the highest rank an | 20 | | African-American could earn during that era; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, After basic training, Edwin Fizer was retained at | 22 | | Montford Point, along with 300 fellow Marines who comprised the |
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| 1 | | 52nd Composite Defense Battalion; other soldiers at Montford | 2 | | Point were assembled into Ammo Depot Companies, which were | 3 | | eventually assigned to Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and other | 4 | | areas of combat in the Pacific; in early 1944, the entire 52nd | 5 | | Battalion shipped out, making their first landing at the | 6 | | Marshall Islands; the battalion was later sent to the Mariana | 7 | | Islands, about 400 miles from Japan; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, In spite of their bravery under fire and | 9 | | unwavering devotion to victory, Edwin Fizer and his fellow | 10 | | Montford Point Marines were subjected to racism wherever they | 11 | | went; military transportation remained segregated to the | 12 | | extent that black Marines were even ordered to give up their | 13 | | seats to German prisoners of war; food service was often | 14 | | refused and threats and racial epithets were commonly used to | 15 | | taunt them; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, After the end of World War II in 1945, Edwin Fizer | 17 | | was discharged, returning to New Orleans where Jim Crow | 18 | | remained alive and well; although he served his country with | 19 | | honor, he found little support from the military as he sought | 20 | | to make his transition to civilian life; he later made his way | 21 | | to Chicago where, with the help of the GI Bill, he enrolled and | 22 | | completed his training at the Illinois College of Optometry; he | 23 | | subsequently joined the Chicago Police Department, served as a | 24 | | teacher, and launched a successful business career; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, In 1965, Edwin Fizer assisted in the early | 2 | | formation of the Montford Point Marine Association (MPMA); he | 3 | | was also instrumental in spearheading the formation of the | 4 | | Montford Point Marine Association Advisory Board, which was | 5 | | established to provide fundraising assistance for MPMA's | 6 | | Chicago Chapter, one of 37 Chapters nationwide; the Board has | 7 | | made significant strides in raising greater public awareness | 8 | | about the Montford Point Marines and the many selfless | 9 | | sacrifices they made on behalf of their country; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, On October 25, 2011, the United States Congress | 11 | | voted to grant the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest | 12 | | civilian honor given by Congress, to the Montford Point Marines | 13 | | in recognition of their service in protecting our nation; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Montford Point Marines serve as | 15 | | models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people | 16 | | of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it
| 17 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 18 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 19 | | we congratulate Edwin J. Fizer and the members of the Montford | 20 | | Point Marines on the occasion of receiving the Congressional | 21 | | Gold Medal and wish them success and happiness in the future; | 22 | | and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to Edwin Fizer as a symbol of our esteem and respect.
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