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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to honor the life of retired United States | ||||||
4 | Air Force Colonel George "Bud" Day, a Medal of Honor recipient, | ||||||
5 | a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and one of the nation's most | ||||||
6 | highly decorated servicemen, who passed away at the age of 88 | ||||||
7 | on July 27, 2013, ending a remarkable life of service to | ||||||
8 | American freedom; and
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9 | WHEREAS, George Day was born on February 24, 1925 in Sioux | ||||||
10 | City, Iowa; he joined the United States Marine Corps in 1942 | ||||||
11 | while still attending high school; he served in the Pacific | ||||||
12 | Theater during World War II before returning home, graduating | ||||||
13 | from law school and passing the Bar Exam in South Dakota in | ||||||
14 | 1949; and
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15 | WHEREAS, George Day entered the Iowa National Guard in | ||||||
16 | 1950, where he attended flight school; he was called to active | ||||||
17 | duty by the United States Air Force the following year and | ||||||
18 | served 2 tours as a bomber pilot during the Korean War; and
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19 | WHEREAS, While serving as an Air Force pilot in Vietnam, | ||||||
20 | George Day was shot down on August 26, 1967 and held captive | ||||||
21 | with his cellmate, future Arizona Senator John McCain, at the | ||||||
22 | infamous Hanoi Hilton; he was often the highest-ranking captive |
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1 | and endured years of beatings, starvation, and torture; and
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2 | WHEREAS, On March 14, 1973, George Day was released and | ||||||
3 | reunited with his wife and 4 children after being held captive | ||||||
4 | for 5 years and 7 months; and
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5 | WHEREAS, On March 4, 1976, President Gerald Ford awarded | ||||||
6 | George Day the Medal of Honor for his personal bravery while a | ||||||
7 | captive in North Vietnam; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Upon George Day's retirement from active duty in | ||||||
9 | 1977, he went on to practice law in Florida and became a | ||||||
10 | crusader for veterans' health care benefits; in 2003, he | ||||||
11 | brought a class action lawsuit before the United States Supreme | ||||||
12 | Court which alleged that the government reneged on its promise | ||||||
13 | to provide free lifetime health care to hundreds of thousands | ||||||
14 | of Korean and World War II veterans; the case prompted Congress | ||||||
15 | to pass legislation in 2000 expanding the military's TRICARE | ||||||
16 | health insurance program to include veterans over the age of | ||||||
17 | 65; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, In 1989, George Day wrote about his experiences of | ||||||
19 | being a prisoner of war in his autobiography "Return With | ||||||
20 | Honor"; and
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21 | WHEREAS, George Day was the recipient of over 70 medals |
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1 | during his service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; he was | ||||||
2 | the only person to receive the Medal of Honor and the Air Force | ||||||
3 | Cross and was the nation's most highly decorated serviceman | ||||||
4 | since General Douglas MacArthur; and
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5 | WHEREAS, George Day went on to be active in his friend | ||||||
6 | Senator John McCain's political life, assisting him in both his | ||||||
7 | 2000 and 2008 presidential bids; and | ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, Senator McCain referred to George Day as the | ||||||
9 | "bravest of the brave" and as a "leader and inspiration"; the | ||||||
10 | pair remained close friends until his passing; and
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11 | WHEREAS, George Day's service and patriotism will forever | ||||||
12 | be remembered by the country he loved and served and his legacy | ||||||
13 | will live on forever; therefore, be it
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14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
15 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
16 | we honor the life and legacy of Colonel George "Bud" Day, | ||||||
17 | acknowledge the passing of this great patriot, and extend our | ||||||
18 | deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife, children, | ||||||
19 | grandchildren, and loved ones; and be it further
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20 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
21 | presented to the family of Colonel George "Bud" Day as an |
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1 | expression of our sincere sympathy and gratitude to a man who | ||||||
2 | dedicated his life to the service of his country.
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