Full Text of HR1116 99th General Assembly
HR1116 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The POW-MIA National Chair of Honor "One Empty | 3 | | Seat" is an initiative that was created to help recognize and | 4 | | honor more than 92,000 American soldiers who have been | 5 | | unaccounted for since World War I; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, These unoccupied seats are dedicated to the memory | 7 | | of the brave men and women and to the sacrifices each of them | 8 | | made serving our country; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The Chair of Honor will remain perpetually empty, | 10 | | symbolizing those American prisoners of war and those missing | 11 | | in action who may never return; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Chair of Honor serves as a reminder to all of | 13 | | the sacrifices that the men and women serving in the Armed | 14 | | Forces have made to ensure our continued freedom and way of | 15 | | life; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The first Chair of Honor was installed and | 17 | | dedicated at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on | 18 | | Veterans Day in 2012; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Sponsored by the Rolling Thunder organization and | 20 | | Hussey Seating, the program has expanded rapidly, with chairs |
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| 1 | | now dedicated in municipal buildings, county courthouses, | 2 | | state capitals, public facilities, professional and college | 3 | | sports stadiums, and even the USS Constitution; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, The object is to place a black chair in a | 5 | | prominent location to enhance Rolling Thunder's mission of | 6 | | keeping the memories of imprisoned and missing soldiers alive; | 7 | | and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Over 91,000 service personnel who never came home, | 9 | | whether they were prisoners of war or missing in action, were | 10 | | honored with the unveiling of a Chair of Honor in Newton; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Frank Hull, the founder of Olney Rolling Thunder | 12 | | Chapter 3, says the Newton chair is the 13th structure his | 13 | | group has placed in downstate Illinois; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Formed in April of 2011, Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 | 15 | | Illinois is a class 501 (c)(4) nonprofit organization serving a | 16 | | 13-county area in southeastern Illinois; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, On September 3, 2013, the group received their | 18 | | Rolling Thunder, Inc. charter and became one of over 90 | 19 | | chartered chapters throughout the United States; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, By educating the public that many prisoners of war |
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| 1 | | and missing in action soldiers were left behind, the past will | 2 | | be preserved and the future generations of servicemen and women | 3 | | will be protected; therefore, be it
| 4 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 5 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 6 | | honor Olney Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 for publicizing the | 7 | | POW-MIA issue, for educating the public that many prisoners of | 8 | | war and missing in action soldiers are left behind, and their | 9 | | continued commitment to helping American veterans from all | 10 | | wars; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | presented to Olney Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 as a symbol of our | 13 | | esteem and respect.
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