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1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | | WHEREAS, United States Army National Guard Retired |
3 | | Brigadier General Walter McCostlin of Fox River Grove, age 81, |
4 | | is an honorably discharged veteran of the 65th Infantry |
5 | | Regiment, the
"Borinqueneers"; and
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6 | | WHEREAS, During "America's Forgotten War", the Korean War, |
7 | | the 65th Infantry earned a
significant number of combat honors, |
8 | | including service in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in
December |
9 | | of 1950; in the Korean War, members of the 65th Infantry were |
10 | | awarded more than 860 combat decorations
for valor and more |
11 | | than 2,700 Purple Hearts; and
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12 | | WHEREAS, After being awarded the Purple Heart as a member |
13 | | of the 65th Infantry and being discharged
from Korean War |
14 | | service, Gen. McCostlin resumed his service career in the |
15 | | National Guard; after 35
years as a Guardsman and Guard |
16 | | officer, he retired in 1990 as a Colonel; and
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17 | | WHEREAS, In retirement from the service, Gen. McCostlin was |
18 | | granted the rank and honors of an
Illinois Army National Guard |
19 | | Brigadier General by Governor Jim Edgar; and |
20 | | WHEREAS, Gen. McCostlin has spoken with the media about his |
21 | | pride in serving with the 65th Infantry; almost all of its |
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1 | | members were Spanish-speaking
young men, many of them from |
2 | | Puerto Rico; the regiment served with high honor in World War |
3 | | I,
World War II, and the Korean War, before being dissolved |
4 | | into other units as part of the overall U.S.
Armed Forces |
5 | | transition from segregated and ethnic-concentrated units into |
6 | | desegregated units; and |
7 | | WHEREAS, In deference to the heroism of the 65th Infantry, |
8 | | their combat missions, and the heritage of the United States
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9 | | Armed Forces Spanish-speaking and Hispanic servicemen and |
10 | | women, the United States Congress has voted, by
special |
11 | | resolution, to present to surviving members of the 65th |
12 | | Infantry the Congressional
Gold Medal; and
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13 | | WHEREAS, The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest-ranking |
14 | | honor awarded by Congress, is granted to few units and their |
15 | | survivors; among previous
recipients of this award are the |
16 | | surviving Tuskegee Airmen; and
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17 | | WHEREAS, The Congressional Gold Medal will be bestowed to |
18 | | surviving members of the 65th
Infantry Regiment, the |
19 | | "Borinqueneers", at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in
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20 | | Washington, D.C.; therefore, be it
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21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
22 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
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1 | | express our deepest gratitude to
Retired Brigadier General |
2 | | Walter McCostlin and to his fellow members of the 65th Infantry |
3 | | Regiment, for dedicating their lives to the service of our |
4 | | country; and be it further |
5 | | RESOLVED, That we join with the United States Congress in |
6 | | marking this occasion with a moment of
remembrance for the |
7 | | service of all members of the United States Armed Forces, and |
8 | | in special recognition of those of
Spanish-speaking and |
9 | | Hispanic heritage; and be it further
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10 | | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to |
11 | | General Walter McCostlin and his family as a symbol of our |
12 | | respect and esteem.
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