Full Text of HR0545 98th General Assembly
HR0545 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to honor the life of retired United States | 4 | | Air Force Colonel George "Bud" Day, a Medal of Honor recipient, | 5 | | a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and one of the nation's most | 6 | | highly decorated servicemen, who passed away at the age of 88 | 7 | | on July 27, 2013, ending a remarkable life of service to | 8 | | American freedom; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, George Day was born on February 24, 1925 in Sioux | 10 | | City, Iowa; he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1942 | 11 | | while still attending high school; he served in the Pacific | 12 | | Theater during World War II before returning home, graduating | 13 | | from law school and passing the Bar Exam in South Dakota in | 14 | | 1949; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, George Day entered the Iowa National Guard in | 16 | | 1950, where he attended flight school; he was called to active | 17 | | duty by the United States Air Force the following year and | 18 | | served 2 tours as a bomber pilot during the Korean War; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, While serving as an Air Force pilot in Vietnam, | 20 | | George Day was shot down on August 26, 1967 and held captive | 21 | | with his cellmate, future Arizona Senator John McCain, at the | 22 | | infamous Hanoi Hilton; he was often the highest-ranking captive |
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| 1 | | and endured years of beatings, starvation, and torture; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On March 14, 1973, George Day was released and | 3 | | reunited with his wife and 4 children after being held captive | 4 | | for 5 years and 7 months; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, On March 4, 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded | 6 | | George Day the Medal of Honor for his personal bravery while a | 7 | | captive in North Vietnam; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Upon George Day's retirement from active duty in | 9 | | 1977, he went on to practice law in Florida and became a | 10 | | crusader for veterans' health care benefits; in 2003, he | 11 | | brought a class action lawsuit before the United States Supreme | 12 | | Court which alleged that the government reneged on its promise | 13 | | to provide free lifetime health care to hundreds of thousands | 14 | | of Korean and World War II veterans; the case prompted Congress | 15 | | to pass legislation in 2000 expanding the military's TRICARE | 16 | | health insurance program to include veterans over the age of | 17 | | 65; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, In 1989, George Day wrote about his experiences of | 19 | | being a prisoner of war in his autobiography "Return With | 20 | | Honor"; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, George Day was the recipient of over 70 medals |
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| 1 | | during his service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; he was | 2 | | the only person to receive the Medal of Honor and the Air Force | 3 | | Cross and was the nation's most highly decorated serviceman | 4 | | since General Douglas MacArthur; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, George Day went on to be active in his friend | 6 | | Senator John McCain's political life, assisting him in both his | 7 | | 2000 and 2008 presidential bids; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Senator McCain referred to George Day as the | 9 | | "bravest of the brave" and as a "leader and inspiration"; the | 10 | | pair remained close friends until his passing; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, George Day's service and patriotism will forever | 12 | | be remembered by the country he loved and served and his legacy | 13 | | will live on forever; therefore, be it
| 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we honor the life and legacy of Colonel George "Bud" Day, | 17 | | acknowledge the passing of this great patriot, and extend our | 18 | | deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife, children, | 19 | | grandchildren, and loved ones; and be it further
| 20 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 21 | | presented to the family of Colonel George "Bud" Day as an |
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| 1 | | expression of our sincere sympathy and gratitude to a man who | 2 | | dedicated his life to the service of his country.
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