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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
3Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals
4who have served our country and our communities; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Veterans and leaders of the Fox Valley
6communities, including but not limited to Aurora, Montgomery,
7and Oswego alike, are remembering and honoring local veteran
8Herschel Luckinbill; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma
10on August 2, 1945; after graduating from high school, he
11enlisted in the U.S. Navy and completed boot camp at the Great
12Lakes Naval Training Center; he served two tours of duty
13during the Vietnam War aboard the USS O'Brien, the first
14American ship to receive direct hits from the enemy during the
15Vietnam War on December 23, 1966; and
 
16    WHEREAS, A long-time Montgomery resident, Herschel
17Luckinbill embraced the work of the VFW and the American
18Legion, serving 25 times as a guardian for World War II
19veterans participating in Honor Flight Chicago; as an
20ambassador and fundraiser for the program, he raised more than
21$100,000 in donations for honor flights; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2013, Herschel Luckinbill brought the
2traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
3The Moving Wall, to Aurora, and more than 200,000 people
4visited the site; he was honored for his work by State Rep. Kay
5Hatcher of Yorkville and selected by the Illinois Department
6of Veteran Affairs to serve as Veteran of the Month for the
7State; that same year, he lead the efforts to restore the
8Spanish-American War cannon that resides at the Riverside
9Cemetery in Montgomery; the wagon was built in 1889 by the
10Watervliet Arsenal in New York; the Rock Island Arsenal built
11the carriage in 1887; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was instrumental in bringing
13the traveling Middle East Conflicts Wall of Honor to Illinois,
14the first trip outside its home state; the Wall of Honor, a
15visual tribute to military personnel who have died while
16serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, was on display in the atrium
17of the Oswego Village Hall; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Herschel Luckinbill was the leader of the Fox
19Valley Veterans Breakfast Club; he assumed leadership of the
20club from the late Senator Mitchler, a World War II veteran,
21and helped it grow from a casual coffee club to an important
22group in the Fox Valley communities; and
 
23    WHEREAS, In June of 2017, Herschel Luckinbill brought The

 

 

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1Moving Wall to Oswego, where, with the support of more than 700
2volunteers, 175,000 visitors learned about the Vietnam
3Veterans Memorial and observed the names of those who made the
4ultimate sacrifice; and
 
5    WHEREAS, At the age of 75, Herschel Luckinbill died at his
6Charlotte, Tennessee home; he is survived by his wife, Eva,
7his sons, his grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and several
8other family members; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
10HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
11SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of
12Route 30 in Kendall County from Douglas Road to River Road as
13"Herschel Luckinbill Road"; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
15is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
16state and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
17giving notice of the name "Herschel Luckinbill Road"; and be
18it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
20presented to the family of Herschel Luckinbill and the
21Secretary of Transportation.