HJ0099 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0099 LRB098 21490 MST 60007 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals who served our country and in doing so have gone above and beyond the call of duty to take part in truly heroic tasks; and

WHEREAS, Christian Frank Schilt was born March 19, 1895 in Richland County; he enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 23, 1917, and, as an enlisted man, he served at Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, with the 1st Marine Aeronautical Company, a seaplane squadron assigned to anti-submarine patrol during World War I; and

WHEREAS, Returning to the United States as a corporal, Christian Schilt entered flight training and was commissioned a second lieutenant on June 10, 1919; in October of that year, he began his first tour of expeditionary duty in Santo Domingo that was followed with an assignment at Port-au-Prince, Haiti the following August; in March of 1921, he was assigned to make an aerial survey and mosaic map of the coast line of the Dominican Republic; in November of 1926, he won second place in the Schneider International Seaplane Race at Norfolk flying a special Curtiss racer at a speed of 231.3 mph (372.2 km/h) over 7 laps of a triangular 50 km course; and

WHEREAS, In November of 1927, now 1st Lieutenant Schilt was ordered to Managua, Nicaragua, where he joined Observation Squadron 7-M; the political climate in Nicaragua had rapidly changed during the summer of 1927 when Augusto C. Sandino and his followers, the Sandinistas, revolted against Nicaragua's Chamorro government; and

WHEREAS, The Sandinistas established their base on the Honduran border of northern Nicaragua; in December of 1927, Sandino with 1000 men ambushed an American Marine detachment of 175 men, killing 8 and wounding 30; the marines fell back to Quilali where the Sandinistas lay siege to the village; with little hope of a breakout, plans were made for an air rescue; the marines in Quilali built a make-shift airstrip by burning and leveling part of the town to expand Quilali's main street from 100 to 500 feet; Observation Squadron 7 modified an O-2U-1 Vought Corsair biplane with landing gear from a DeHavilland DH-4 for the expected hard landings; and

WHEREAS, As if oblivious to the cramped space he was entering, between January 6 and 8, 1928, Lt. Schilt took his Corsair on 10 trips into the embattled village, hauling in 1,400 pounds of medical supplies and evacuating 18 of the wounded Marines; since his O2U had no brakes, the marines on the ground stopped the biplane by grabbing the wings when it touched down; hostile fire on landings and take-offs, plus low-hanging clouds, mountains, and tricky air currents, added to the difficulty of the flights; he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his flying skill combined with personal courage during the rescue of the Quilali Marines; and

WHEREAS, Christian Schilt continued his military career serving in both World War II and Korea; during World War II, he participated in the Guadalcanal campaign, the consolidation of Southern Solomons, and the air defense of Peleliu and Okinawa earning the Legion of Merit with Combat "V", the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with Combat "V" and 4 Air Medals; in Korea, he commanded the 1st U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft Wing from July of 1951 to April of 1952 earning the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and his fifth Air Medal; he retired from the Marine Corps on April 1, 1957 when he was promoted to full general; and

WHEREAS, General Schilt passed away on January 8, 1987 at age 91, in Norfolk, Virginia, and was buried with honors in Arlington National Cemetery; and

WHEREAS, On October 21, 2011, a new headquarters building at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina was named in honor of General Schilt as a constant reminder of the example he set; and

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the State of Illinois honor the memory and example set by Marine Aviator General Christian F. Schilt; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of U.S. Highway 50 one mile east of Illinois Route 130 to one mile west of Illinois Route 130 at Olney as the "Marine Aviator General Christian F. Schilt Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That upon completion of any unfinished sections of highway, 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; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented the family of General Christian F. Schilt, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Mayor of Olney.