Full Text of HR0921 97th General Assembly
HR0921 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On January 19, 1942, 6 weeks after the attack on | 3 | | Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Navy, second-generation Americans | 4 | | of Japanese ancestry, Nisei, were reclassified by the Selective | 5 | | Service as "4C," enemy aliens, ineligible to be drafted; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. | 7 | | Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066, which authorized the | 8 | | Secretary of War and his designees to exclude any and all | 9 | | persons from prescribed military zones; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 9066 was the basis for General | 11 | | John L. DeWitt, Commander of the Western Defense Command, to | 12 | | forcibly remove over 110,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry, | 13 | | over 70% American-born citizens, from parts of Washington, | 14 | | Oregon, California, and Arizona and detain them for nearly 3 | 15 | | years without charges or trials; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, On June 5, 1942, the War Department activated the | 17 | | 100th Infantry Battalion, a racially-segregated unit composed | 18 | | of Nisei volunteers from Hawaii, that fought in the European | 19 | | Theater and became known as the Purple Heart Battalion due to | 20 | | its high casualty rate; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, The War Department established the 442nd |
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| 1 | | Regimental Combat Team, a racially-segregated unit composed of | 2 | | Nisei volunteers from confinement sites used to detain | 3 | | Americans of Japanese ancestry, known as War Relocation | 4 | | Centers; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which came to | 6 | | include the 100th Infantry Battalion, spearheaded numerous | 7 | | battles, fought valiantly and courageously, and is widely | 8 | | regarded as the most decorated unit in American history for its | 9 | | size and length of service, with its members having earned 7 | 10 | | Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29 | 11 | | Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze | 12 | | Stars, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, President Harry S. Truman, while presenting the | 14 | | seventh Presidential Unit Citation on the White House lawn, | 15 | | aptly observed, "You have fought not only the enemy, but | 16 | | prejudice, and you have won"; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, The Military Intelligence Service was made up of | 18 | | approximately 6,000 Nisei soldiers attached to combat units in | 19 | | the Pacific Theater where they intercepted radio | 20 | | transmissions, translated enemy documents, interrogated enemy | 21 | | prisoners of war, volunteered for reconnaissance and covert | 22 | | intelligence missions, and persuaded enemy combatants to | 23 | | surrender; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The Military Intelligence Service soldiers served | 2 | | during the post-war occupation of Japan, assisting Japan in a | 3 | | peaceful transition to a democratic form of government and | 4 | | helping to win a lasting peace; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, The United States House of Representatives and | 6 | | United States Senate unanimously passed Public Law 11-254 on | 7 | | October 5, 2010, which was signed by President Barack Obama, | 8 | | conferring the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest | 9 | | civilian honor, to members of the 100th Battalion, 442nd | 10 | | Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service at a | 11 | | national ceremony held at Emancipation Hall in Washington, | 12 | | D.C., on November 2, 2011; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, In addition to the many veterans that served with | 14 | | the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, | 15 | | and the Military Intelligence Service, there were many other | 16 | | Japanese-American veterans that served this country during | 17 | | World War II; through the sacrifice and dedication of | 18 | | Japanese-American Veterans, negative attitudes and stereotypes | 19 | | were changed about these brave people; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, The Japanese-American veterans of World War II are | 21 | | being honored at a special event, the Nikkei World War II | 22 | | Tribute, on Sunday, April 22, 2012, sponsored by the Chicago |
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| 1 | | Japanese American Citizens League, Chicago Nisei Post 1183, the | 2 | | Chicago Japanese American Council, the Chicago Japanese | 3 | | American Historical Society, the Japanese American Service | 4 | | Committee, and the Japanese Mutual Aid Association; therefore, | 5 | | be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 8 | | we honor the Japanese-American veterans of World War II and | 9 | | thank them for their service to the country; and be it further
| 10 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 11 | | presented and read at the Nikkei World War II Tribute on | 12 | | Sunday, April 22, 2012 as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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