HJ0079 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0079 LRB102 26699 MST 37539 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals who have served our country and our communities; and

WHEREAS, Veterans and leaders of the Fox Valley communities, including but not limited to Aurora, Montgomery, and Oswego alike, are remembering and honoring local veteran Herschel Luckinbill; and

WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on August 2, 1945; after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and completed boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center; he served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War aboard the USS O'Brien, the first American ship to receive direct hits from the enemy during the Vietnam War on December 23, 1966; and

WHEREAS, A long-time Montgomery resident, Herschel Luckinbill embraced the work of the VFW and the American Legion, serving 25 times as a guardian for World War II veterans participating in Honor Flight Chicago; as an ambassador and fundraiser for the program, he raised more than $100,000 in donations for honor flights; and

WHEREAS, In 2013, Herschel Luckinbill brought the traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Moving Wall, to Aurora, and more than 200,000 people visited the site; he was honored for his work by State Rep. Kay Hatcher of Yorkville and selected by the Illinois Department of Veteran Affairs to serve as Veteran of the Month for the State; that same year, he lead the efforts to restore the Spanish-American War cannon that resides at the Riverside Cemetery in Montgomery; the wagon was built in 1889 by the Watervliet Arsenal in New York; the Rock Island Arsenal built the carriage in 1887; and

WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was instrumental in bringing the traveling Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor to Illinois, the first trip outside its home state; the Wall of Honor, a visual tribute to military personnel who have died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was on display in the atrium of the Oswego Village Hall; and

WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was the leader of the Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club; he assumed leadership of the club from the late Senator Mitchler, a World War II veteran, and helped it grow from a casual coffee club to an important group in the Fox Valley communities; and

WHEREAS, In June of 2017, Herschel Luckinbill brought The Moving Wall to Oswego, where, with the support of more than 700 volunteers, 175,000 visitors learned about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and observed the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice; and

WHEREAS, At the age of 75, Herschel Luckinbill died at his Charlotte, Tennessee home; he is survived by his wife, Eva, his sons, his grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and several other family members; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of Route 30 in Kendall County from Douglas Road to River Road as "Herschel Luckinbill Road"; 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 "Herschel Luckinbill Road"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Herschel Luckinbill and the Secretary of Transportation.