SR1169 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1169 LRB101 21187 MST 71748 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On December 2, 1950, U.S. Army Cpl. Asa E. Vance was reported missing in action near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea after his unit was attacked by enemy forces; he was a member of Company D, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, Cpl. Vance enlisted in the Army in December of 1949 and trained in Kansas and Georgia before serving in Japan; he was listed as presumed dead in 1954; and

WHEREAS, Cpl. Vance was among 26 men from Macon County who died during the Korean War and have their names etched into the Korean War Memorial in Graceland Cemetery in Decatur; and

WHEREAS, Following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un in 2018, the North Korean government turned over more than 55 boxes of remains to the United States; and

WHEREAS, Cpl. Vance's remains were identified among those in the boxes and returned home to his family after nearly 70 years; and

WHEREAS, There remain 391 individuals from the State of Illinois that are still unaccounted for from the Korean War and deserve to be returned to their families as was Cpl. Vance; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of U.S. Army Cpl. Asa E. Vance who gave his life for his country; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Cpl. Vance as a symbol of our sincerest condolences and our endless gratitude for his selfless service and sacrifice.