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1
HOUSE 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 made the
5ultimate sacrifice for our nation; and
 
6    WHEREAS, John W. Frederick Jr. was born on December 13,
71923 in Manito; on May 7, 1942, he enlisted in the Marine Corps
8and subsequently attended Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San
9Diego, California; during 40 combat missions in World War II,
10he served as a tail gunner and radar operator on Grumman TBF
11Avenger torpedo bombers; and
 
12    WHEREAS, After the war, John Frederick flew reconnaissance
13missions in China during Operation Beleaguer; and
 
14    WHEREAS, During the first year of the Korean War,
15Technical Sergeant John Frederick flew 90 combat missions as
16the airborne intercept operator in Grumman F7F Tigercats with
17Marine All Weather Fighter Squadron 542 (VMF(N)-542); he was
18awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for his service before
19rotating home in July of 1951; and
 
20    WHEREAS, After the war, Master Sergeant John Frederick was
21stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North

 

 

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1Carolina and Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan; in June of 1959,
2he was assigned to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland
3where he worked on the F4H-1 Phantom II project; in July of
41961, he was promoted to warrant officer; in December of 1964,
5he was assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 533 (VMA-533) at
6Cherry Point; in May of 1965, he was transferred to Marine
7Fighter Attack Squadron 323 (VMFA-323); and
 
8    WHEREAS, On December 1, 1965, Chief Warrant Officer 2 John
9Frederick deployed to Vietnam with VMFA-323; on the night of
10December 7, he was the radar intercept officer of an F-4B
11Phantom during an escort mission out of Da Nang Air Base when
12his plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over North
13Vietnam; although he severely burned his hands when his part
14of the cockpit was enveloped by flames, he successfully
15ejected from the aircraft; the pilot, Major John H. Dunn, also
16survived the crash and was captured six days later; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The next morning, John Frederick accidentally
18walked into an enemy gun emplacement and single-handedly
19attacked the position; he managed to fight off North
20Vietnamese soldiers before he was overpowered and captured; he
21was subsequently beaten and taken to a prisoner of war camp in
22Hanoi; and
 
23    WHEREAS, As one of the first Marines to be taken as a POW

 

 

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1during the war, John Frederick helped set the standard for
2conduct of other captured Marines, unifying the men and
3increasing morale; he strictly adhered to the code of conduct
4and refused to take part in North Vietnamese propaganda
5programs; his resistance to the enemy also caused him to be
6routinely tortured and beaten during countless interrogations;
7and
 
8    WHEREAS, John Frederick also faced extended periods of
9solitary confinement for refusing to bow and refusing to
10provide biographical information; in 1972, he was held in
11solitary confinement for 90 days and contracted either typhoid
12fever or meningitis; falling into a coma, he was likely being
13transported to a hospital in Hanoi when he died on or about
14July 19, 1972 after more than 2,400 days in captivity; and
 
15    WHEREAS, While other American prisoners of war were
16released between February and April of 1973 during Operation
17Homecoming, John Frederick's remains were returned to the
18United States on March 13, 1974; he was buried at Mount Hope
19Cemetery in Tremont; and
 
20    WHEREAS, John Frederick was posthumously promoted to chief
21warrant officer 4 and was awarded the Navy Cross; he was also
22awarded the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, and the Bronze
23Star for his actions while a prisoner of war, making him one of

 

 

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1the most decorated warrant officers in Marine Corps history;
2in 1999, a study lounge at The Basic School in Marine Corps
3Base Quantico was dedicated in his name; and
 
4    WHEREAS, CWO4 John W. Frederick Jr. was survived by his
5wife, Lorraine Wilma, and his four children, Michael, Gerald,
6Barbara, and Paula; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
9SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Interstate I-155
10from Interstate 74 to IL Route 9 near Morton and Tremont as the
11"CWO4 John W. Frederick Jr. Memorial Highway"; and be it
12further
 
13    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
14is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with
15State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
16giving notice of the name of the "CWO4 John W. Frederick Jr.
17Memorial Highway"; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of CWO4 John W. Frederick Jr. and the
20Secretary of Transportation.