SR0546 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0546 LRB100 12982 MST 27109 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Today, there are an estimated 21.7 million veterans living in the United States, with the oldest having served in World War II; and

WHEREAS, Since the founding of the United States, there have been over 50 million Americans who have served in the United States military in some capacity; and

WHEREAS, Some soldiers never return home and may be classified as Prisoners of War (POW), Missing in Action (MIA), or Died in Captivity (DIC); and

WHEREAS, There currently is an estimated 83,000 American service personnel still considered MIA; and

WHEREAS, The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency's (DPAA) mission is to recover fallen Americans and provide the fullest possible accounting for missing personnel to their families and the nation; and

WHEREAS, Many of those classified as POW, MIA, or DIC are never given a proper burial, and many are in unmarked graves across the world; and

WHEREAS, The United States has always strived to ensure that every soldier will be returned home and continues to search for and find fallen soldiers from wars that took place decades ago; and

WHEREAS, From 1991 to 1993, the United States Senate had a select committee on POW/MIA affairs to ensure that the nation met its obligation to the missing and to the families of those still listed as unaccounted; and

WHEREAS, After extensive research, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs produced an over 1,000 page report detailing the efforts and challenges the United States faces for recovery of those determined as POW, MIA, or DIC; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we support the priority of the United States to bring every fallen service member home; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to reestablish the select committee on POW/MIA affairs to investigate issues relating to the process of recovering United States fallen service members; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.