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91_HR0661
LRB9113525CBcb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The Illinois National Guard and its militia
3 forebears have faithfully served the State and the nation for
4 more than 300 years; and
5 WHEREAS, Illinois Patriots, such as Colonel George Rogers
6 Clark, have always quickly answered the call to arms with
7 pride and professionalism; and
8 WHEREAS, Five brigades of Illinois volunteers, including
9 Abraham Lincoln, were mustered in April 1832 to defend
10 settlers and end hostilities during the Black Hawk War; and
11 WHEREAS, Six Illinois militia regiments and five
12 independent companies volunteered for the Mexican American
13 War; and
14 WHEREAS, Illinois provided the Union with leaders such as
15 President Lincoln and Generals Grant, Logan, and McClernand,
16 as well as more than 250,000 men during the Civil War, the
17 largest contingent of any state; and
18 WHEREAS, Units in the Chicago area kept order in the
19 aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire; and
20 WHEREAS, Illinois was the first state to respond to the
21 Federal call for troops and mustered ten regiments, including
22 Poet Carl Sandburg, and the Naval Militia for service in the
23 Spanish American War; and
24 WHEREAS, The Illinois National Guard was called for
25 service to pursue Pancho Villa and restore peace on the
26 Mexican Border in 1916; and
27 WHEREAS, 25,000 Illinois National Guard troops were
28 mobilized during WWI and nine Illinois soldiers of the 33rd
29 Infantry Division received Medals of Honor for their heroic
30 conduct; and
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1 WHEREAS, The 33rd Infantry Division helped recapture the
2 Philippines and Illinois National Guard units served in all
3 theatres of WWII; and
4 WHEREAS, Illinois National Guard units served in both the
5 Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War; and
6 WHEREAS, The 170th Fighter Squadron, Illinois Air
7 National Guard, and several Army National Guard units were
8 called to active duty during the Berlin Crisis; and
9 WHEREAS, In 1993, when the Mississippi and Illinois
10 Rivers flooded their banks, 7,000 members of the Illinois
11 National Guard provided assistance to their fellow
12 Illinoisans who were displaced; and
13 WHEREAS, 1,200 Illinois Army and Air National Guard
14 members have been recently deployed to support operations in
15 Macedonia, Kosovo, and Iraq; and
16 WHEREAS, The Illinois National Guard Drug Reduction
17 Program assists local law enforcement in removing illegal
18 drugs from Illinois communities; and
19 WHEREAS, The Illinois National Guard sponsors Lincoln's
20 Challenge and Operation First Choice which provide training,
21 mentorship, and other services designed to meet the needs of
22 the youth of Illinois; and
23 WHEREAS, Illinois National Guard members daily serve
24 their Nation, State, and local communities; and
25 WHEREAS, George H. Ryan, Governor of the State of
26 Illinois, has proclaimed April 5, 2000 as ILLINOIS NATIONAL
27 GUARD DAY in Illinois; therefore, be it
28 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
29 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
30 we commend the men and women of the Illinois National Guard
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1 for their long and outstanding service to the State of
2 Illinois; and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to the Adjutant General for the State of Illinois
5 in conjunction with Illinois National Guard Day on April 5,
6 2000.