SJ0075 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0075 LRB100 21967 MST 40294 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to those individuals who have served our country and, in doing so, have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation; and

WHEREAS, Charles Thomas Heinemeier was born in Alton to John and Lela Heinemeier on March 2, 1949, the fourth son of 10 children; and

WHEREAS, Marine Lance Corporal Heinemeier graduated from Bunker Hill High School in 1967, where he played baseball and basketball; after high school, he worked construction at McCann Concrete and the Olin Corporation; and

WHEREAS, In May of 1968, Cpl. Heinemeier, following the lead of his older brothers, enlisted in the U.S. Marines; he attended basic training in San Diego and Camp Pendleton California; in December of 1968, he was sent to Vietnam, six months after he enlisted; and

WHEREAS, Cpl. Heinemeier was killed on August 19, 1969 while serving with the 1st Marine Division in Quang Nam, Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, Cpl. Heinemeier was posthumously awarded three Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart; and

WHEREAS, Cpl. Heinemeier's commanding officer remembers him as the man who made life bearable in the midst of death; "Your son," he wrote Mrs. Heinemeier, "was our morale booster. We wouldn't have made it without him."; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate IL-159 from Detour Road to IL-16 in Bunker Hill as the "Lance Cpl. Charles Heinemeier Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name "Lance Cpl. Charlie Heinemeier Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Cpl. Heinemeier, the Mayor of Bunker Hill, and the Secretary of Transportation.