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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 88

  
 
2    WHEREAS, It is necessary to honor and remember the military 
3heroes of our State and country who have served with great 
4dedication to preserving our liberties and freedoms; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Russell E. Dunham was born in 1920 in East 
6Carondelet and raised on a small farm near Fosterburg; when he 
7was 20 years old he enlisted in the United States Army; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Russell Dunham achieved the rank of Technical 
9Sergeant and platoon leader with the 30th Infantry, 3rd 
10Infantry Division, and saw combat in North Africa, Sicily, 
11Italy, and France; and
 
12    WHEREAS, On January 8th, 1945, Technical Sergeant Dunham's 
13unit was pinned down between artillery fire and enemy machine 
14gun nests at the base of snow-covered Hill 616 in 
15Alsace-Lorraine near Kaysersberg, France; Technical Sergeant 
16Dunham made the decision to advance single-handedly, using a 
17white mattress as camouflage and cover; Technical Sergeant 
18Dunham then preceded to neutralize all three machine gun 
19emplacements using only his carbine and hand grenades, while 
20being wounded by enemy fire in the process; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Technical Sergeant Dunham was awarded the Medal of 
 
 
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1Honor in 1945 for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at 
2risk of life above and beyond the call of duty"; General 
3Alexander Patch said, while he placed the award around Dunham's 
4neck, that his actions had single-handedly saved the lives of 
5120 pinned-down US soldiers; and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, In addition to the Medal of Honor, Technical 
7Sergeant Dunham was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, 
8Purple Heart, and the Croix de Guerre for Heroism from the 
9President of France for his valiant service during the Second 
10World War; and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, After his service, Technical Sergeant Dunham 
12returned to west central Illinois, where he continued to serve 
13his fellow soldiers by working as a benefits counselor with the 
14Veterans Administration in St. Louis for 32 years; he also 
15honored his fellow infantrymen by getting a monument erected at 
16Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery to honor those who served 
17with the 3rd Infantry Division; and
  
 
18    WHEREAS, He was an avid hunter and proud member of the 
19Alton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1308; and
  
 
20    WHEREAS, After his marriage to Mary Dunham ended, Technical 
21Sergeant Dunham lived out the remainder of his life in Jersey 
22County with his second wife, Wilda Long-Bazzell Dunham; and
 
 
 
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1    WHEREAS, He had a daughter, Mary Neal, with his first wife; 
2and two stepchildren, Annette Wilson and David Bazzell; in 
3addition, Technical Sergeant Dunham had 8 brothers, 5 sisters, 
4and multiple grandchildren; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Technical Sergeant Dunham passed away in 2009 in 
6Godfrey, at the age of 89; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The members of this Body are humbled and honored 
8by Technical Sergeant Russell Dunham's distinguished life and 
9valiant military service; and
 
10    WHEREAS, There is a section of United States Highway 67 
11running through the entirety of Jersey County and extending 
12into Madison County; and
  
 
13    WHEREAS, When completed, there shall also be a section of 
14Illinois State Highway 255 running between Seminary Road at 
15Milepost 16 to United States Highway 67 at Milepost 21; 
16therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL 
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE ILLINOIS SENATE 
19CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the stretch of United 
20States Highway 67 beginning at the Jersey County line and 
 
 
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1traveling south to Illinois State Highway 255, and continuing 
2onto Illinois State Highway 255, when completed, between 
3Mileposts 16 and 21 as the "Russell E. Dunham Memorial 
4Highway"; and be it further
  
 
5    RESOLVED, That upon completion of any unfinished sections 
6of highway, the Illinois Department of Transportation is 
7requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with State 
8and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving 
9notice of the name; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be 
11presented to the Dunham family, the Village of Godfrey, the 
12county boards of both Jersey and Madison Counties, and the 
13Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.