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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel John W. Amberg II entered the 
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United States Army in 1982 and completed basic training at Fort 
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Knox earning the Military Occupational Skill, 19D, Cavalry 
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Scout; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel John Amberg holds a Bachelor's 
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degree in Leadership from the United States Military Academy at 
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West Point and a Master's degree in Business Administration 
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from Eastern New Mexico University; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff 
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College, the Public Affairs Officer's Course, the Combined Arms 
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Services Staff School, the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced 
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Courses, and holds the Airborne Badge; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Serving as an Artillery Officer, Lieutenant 
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Colonel Amberg was stationed at Fort Hood (1995) and 
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participated in an operational deployment to Kuwait; he also 
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served as the deputy operations officer for the Artillery 
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Battalion and was deployed to fight forest fires in Idaho and 
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Montana in support of the United States Forest Service; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Prior to his assignment at Fort Hood, Lieutenant 
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Colonel Amberg served as a Gunnery Instructor for the Officer 
 


 






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Basic Course at the Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg also was deployed to 
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Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1991) from Neu Ulm, Germany as part 
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of the 1st Infantry Division and VII Corps, the largest 
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overseas theater-to-theater deployment in the history of the 
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Army; and
 
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    WHEREAS, From 1997 to 2000 Lieutenant Colonel Amberg taught 
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Military Leadership at the Reserve Officer Training Course 
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(ROTC), New Mexico Military Institute at Roswell, New Mexico, 
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and assisted the University in commissioning over 150 officers, 
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the second largest commissioning source for United States Army 
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officers, other than West Point; and
 
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    WHEREAS, In 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg attended the 
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Command and General Staff College and then was assigned to the 
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United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), 
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Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he served as the Secretary of 
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the General Staff (SGS), and was responsible for the management 
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of all administrative records for the students and staff for 
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the Deputy Commandant; and

 
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    WHEREAS, From January 2003 to March 2003, Lieutenant 
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Colonel Amberg was deployed to Zamboanga City, Republic of the 
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Philippines, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; during 
 


 






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the deployment, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg served as the 
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principle PAO for the Joint Special Operation Task Force 
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Philippines as they conducted humanitarian assistance and 
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military training missions; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He was the Chief of Public Affairs for the United 
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States Army Japan/9th Theater Support Command at Camp Zama, 
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Japan; Lieutenant Colonel Amberg served as the principle PAO 
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for the 2004 military desertion trial of the former Korean War 
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Army Sergeant Charles Jenkins; Lieutenant Colonel Amberg, 
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serving as the Army spokesperson, assured that the public 
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understood the military trial was merely the United States Army 
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enforcing the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) with one 
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of its own; the case was internationally significant due to the 
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personal interest of Japan's Prime Minister, Jerinichi 
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Koizumi; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg arrived in Chicago in 
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July of 2005 and participated in the Army's Training with 
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Industry Program and has now retired as Midwest Director, 
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United States Army Public Affairs, after serving 26 years in 
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the military; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg played an instrumental 
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role as a liaison between the United States Army and an array 
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of non-profit charitable organizations dedicated to serving 
 


 






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both veteran and current members of the United States military 
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in and around the Midwest area, and was vital in providing 
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guidance to these organizations; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg was central to the 
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successful re-launch of the Purple Heart Cruise, a Chicago 
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institution dedicated to serving the veterans of Illinois and 
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America and provided assistance, advice, and council to the 
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leadership of the hosting organization, Kup's Purple Heart 
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Foundation; and

 


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    WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg will officially retire 
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from the military on September 2008; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate and recognize Lieutenant Colonel John Amberg for 
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his dedication to the citizens of Illinois, for having 
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accomplished all missions tasked to him and his respective 
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units, and for having served this State and the nation 
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honorably for 26 years and that we declare  September 30, 2008 
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as Lieutenant Colonel John Amberg Day in the State of Illinois; 
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and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Lieutenant Colonel John Amberg as a symbol of our 
 


 






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respect and esteem.