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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals
4who have served our country and, in doing so, have gone above
5and beyond the call of duty to take part in truly heroic tasks;
6and
 
7    WHEREAS, Of the millions of men and women who have served
8this country with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast
9Guard, only 3,468 have ever been awarded the highest military
10decoration awarded by the United States government, the Medal
11of Honor; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The Medal of Honor is awarded for conspicuous
13gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one's life above and
14beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against any
15enemy of the United States, while engaged in military
16operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force,
17or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an
18armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the
19United States is not a belligerent party; and
 
20    WHEREAS, It is a true honor for an individual to be awarded
21the Medal of Honor and serves to distinguish those individuals
22as true American heroes; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Allen J. Lynch was born on October 28, 1945, in
2Chicago; he grew up in the Lake Eliza area of Indiana, where he
3attended Union Center Elementary School and Wheeler Junior High
4School; and
 
5    WHEREAS, After graduating from high school, Allen Lynch
6joined the United States Army in 1964; he was later sent to
7Vietnam in the fall of 1966 and was assigned to the 12th
8Cavalry; he served as a rifleman for several months before
9becoming his platoon's radiotelephone operator; and
 
10    WHEREAS, On December 15, 1967, Allen Lynch was serving as a
11specialist four in Company D, 1st Battalion (Airmobile), 12th
12Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile);
13during a firefight near the Binh Dinh Province of Vietnam, he
14saw 3 wounded soldiers out in the open who were under intense
15enemy fire; he quickly dropped his radio and went to help the
16soldiers; under intense fire, he carried the wounded soldiers
17to safety and single-handedly defended them against the
18advancing enemy force for several hours; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Following this courageous action, Allen Lynch was
20subsequently promoted to the rank of sergeant and awarded the
21Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in
22action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of

 

 

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1duty; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Allen Lynch's quick thinking and disregard for his
3own safety were vital in saving those lives, but his fight on
4behalf of his fellow soldiers did not end on the battlefield;
5after the war, he settled in Gurnee and worked for the
6Department of Veterans Affairs, where he advocated for
7increased benefits for disabled veterans; he later served as
8chief of the Illinois Attorney General's Veterans Rights Bureau
9until his retirement in 2005; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Allen Lynch continues his dedication to our nation
11as a volunteer with the Vietnam Veterans of America
12organization; he serves as the liaison for the Congressional
13Medal of Honor Society and frequently gives speeches at
14military-related events; he also performs ministry work with
15the Lake County Jail; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
17ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
18CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the Grand Avenue Overpass
19over Interstate 94 in Gurnee as the "Allen J. Lynch
20Congressional Medal of Honor Overpass"; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That upon completion of any unfinished sections
22of highway, the Illinois Department of Transportation is

 

 

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1requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State
2and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving
3notice of the name; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5presented to Allen J. Lynch, his family, the Village of Gurnee,
6the Lake County Board, the Lake County Veterans Assistance
7Commission, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of
8Transportation, and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.