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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, 2017 marks the centennial observance of the entry
3of the United States into World War I, a war that lasted from
41914 to November 11, 1918, with the United States formally
5entering the war on April 6, 1917; and
 
6    WHEREAS, More than four million American men and women
7served in uniform during World War I; the United States
8suffered 375,000 casualties and 116,516 deaths; and
 
9    WHEREAS, More than 350,000 Illinoisans served in the
10military during World War I; the war claimed the lives of 4,266
11Illinois servicemen; and
 
12    WHEREAS, One out of every 12 men who fought in the United
13States Army was from Illinois; Illinois furnished more men to
14the Armed Forces during the war than any other state except New
15York and Pennsylvania; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Among the units that fought in the war were the
1733rd Infantry Division, which was comprised solely of Illinois
18residents, and the 370th Infantry Division, which consisted of
19mostly Illinois residents and which was the only regiment in
20the then-segregated military that consisted entirely of
21African American soldiers, including officers; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Illinoisans took part in naval and aerial combat
2in some of the most hard-fought battles of the war, including
3Le Hamel, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the Somme Offensive, and
4around St. Mihiel; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Illinois State Military Museum, located at
6Camp Butler in Springfield, tells the story of all Illinois
7veterans and of their service to our country and will be
8commemorating the centennial of World War I with educational
9programs, reenactments, and written histories; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Illinois National Guard troops were activated for
11duty in preparation for the war on March 26, 1917, two weeks
12before the American entry into the war; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
14HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
15commemorate the centennial of the United States entering and
16participating in World War I beginning on March 26, 2017, the
17date Illinois soldiers mobilized for the war effort; and be it
18further
 
19    RESOLVED, That we encourage the Illinois State Military
20Museum, the Illinois World War I Centennial Committee, and all
21Illinois residents to honor and commemorate the heroic men and

 

 

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1women who fought for freedom and democracy during the Great
2War; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
4presented to the Illinois State Military Museum and the
5Illinois World War I Centennial Committee.