Full Text of HR0205 97th General Assembly
HR0205 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn
of the death of Frank | 4 | | Woodruff Buckles, the longest surviving United States veteran | 5 | | of
World War I, who passed away on February 27, 2011, at the | 6 | | age of 110; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Frank Buckles was born on February 1, 1901; at the | 8 | | age of 16,
he witnessed the European theatre of World War I, | 9 | | serving as a Corporal in the United
States Army; as an | 10 | | ambulance driver in France and Germany, he evacuated
wounded | 11 | | soldiers from the horrific battlefield; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, After World War I, Frank Buckles traveled widely, | 13 | | working for steamship
companies; he was on business in Manila | 14 | | when the Philippines were occupied after
the attack on Pearl | 15 | | Harbor in December of 1941; he was imprisoned by occupying | 16 | | forces and lost more than 50 pounds before being liberated by | 17 | | an American airborne unit in
February of 1945; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, For his service during World War I, Frank Buckles | 19 | | received the World War I
Victory Medal and qualified for four | 20 | | Overseas Service Bars; in 1941, he retroactively
qualified for | 21 | | the Army of Occupation of Germany Medal due to his post-war | 22 | | service in
Europe in 1919; in 1999, Buckles was further honored |
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| 1 | | by the French
Government and was awarded France's Legion | 2 | | d'Honneur; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Frank Buckles was laid to rest with full military | 4 | | honors at Arlington
National Cemetery; his funeral was attended | 5 | | by President Barack Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Frank Buckles represents the generation of | 7 | | Americans that served and
sacrificed during World War I, "The | 8 | | World to End All Wars", and was the last veteran
among the more | 9 | | than 4.7 million Americans who had served in the armed forces | 10 | | of the
Allied nations from April 6, 1917, when the United | 11 | | States entered World War I, to
November 11, 1918, the date of | 12 | | the armistice; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, 116,516 Americans serving in the armed forces gave | 14 | | their lives during
World War I; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we mourn, along with his
family, friends, and the rest of a | 18 | | grateful nation, the passing of Frank Woodruff
Buckles, and | 19 | | honor the lives of all who served during World War I; and be it | 20 | | further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| 1 | | presented to Frank Woodruff
Buckles' daughter, Susannah | 2 | | Flanagan, as a symbol of our sincere sympathy and respect.
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