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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, On January 19, 1942, 6 weeks after the attack on
3Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Navy, second-generation Americans
4of Japanese ancestry, Nisei, were reclassified by the Selective
5Service as "4C," enemy aliens, ineligible to be drafted; and
 
6    WHEREAS, On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D.
7Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066, which authorized the
8Secretary of War and his designees to exclude any and all
9persons from prescribed military zones; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 9066 was the basis for General
11John L. DeWitt, Commander of the Western Defense Command, to
12forcibly remove over 110,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry,
13over 70% American-born citizens, from parts of Washington,
14Oregon, California, and Arizona and detain them for nearly 3
15years without charges or trials; and
 
16    WHEREAS, On June 5, 1942, the War Department activated the
17100th Infantry Battalion, a racially-segregated unit composed
18of Nisei volunteers from Hawaii, that fought in the European
19Theater and became known as the Purple Heart Battalion due to
20its high casualty rate; and
 
21    WHEREAS, The War Department established the 442nd

 

 

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1Regimental Combat Team, a racially-segregated unit composed of
2Nisei volunteers from confinement sites used to detain
3Americans of Japanese ancestry, known as War Relocation
4Centers; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which came to
6include the 100th Infantry Battalion, spearheaded numerous
7battles, fought valiantly and courageously, and is widely
8regarded as the most decorated unit in American history for its
9size and length of service, with its members having earned 7
10Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Medals of Honor, 29
11Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze
12Stars, and over 4,000 Purple Hearts; and
 
13    WHEREAS, President Harry S. Truman, while presenting the
14seventh Presidential Unit Citation on the White House lawn,
15aptly observed, "You have fought not only the enemy, but
16prejudice, and you have won"; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The Military Intelligence Service was made up of
18approximately 6,000 Nisei soldiers attached to combat units in
19the Pacific Theater where they intercepted radio
20transmissions, translated enemy documents, interrogated enemy
21prisoners of war, volunteered for reconnaissance and covert
22intelligence missions, and persuaded enemy combatants to
23surrender; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Military Intelligence Service soldiers served
2during the post-war occupation of Japan, assisting Japan in a
3peaceful transition to a democratic form of government and
4helping to win a lasting peace; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The United States House of Representatives and
6United States Senate unanimously passed Public Law 11-254 on
7October 5, 2010, which was signed by President Barack Obama,
8conferring the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest
9civilian honor, to members of the 100th Battalion, 442nd
10Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service at a
11national ceremony held at Emancipation Hall in Washington,
12D.C., on November 2, 2011; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In addition to the many veterans that served with
14the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team,
15and the Military Intelligence Service, there were many other
16Japanese-American veterans that served this country during
17World War II; through the sacrifice and dedication of
18Japanese-American Veterans, negative attitudes and stereotypes
19were changed about these brave people; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The Japanese-American veterans of World War II are
21being honored at a special event, the Nikkei World War II
22Tribute, on Sunday, April 22, 2012, sponsored by the Chicago

 

 

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1Japanese American Citizens League, Chicago Nisei Post 1183, the
2Chicago Japanese American Council, the Chicago Japanese
3American Historical Society, the Japanese American Service
4Committee, and the Japanese Mutual Aid Association; therefore,
5be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8we honor the Japanese-American veterans of World War II and
9thank them for their service to the country; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented and read at the Nikkei World War II Tribute on
12Sunday, April 22, 2012 as a symbol of our respect and esteem.