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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5,
3 1868, by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand
4 Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11 and was first
5 observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the
6 graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National
7 Cemetery; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Memorial Day was officially declared a national
9 holiday in May of 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a
10 national day of remembrance for those who have died in our
11 nation's service; a day where every citizen of the United
12 States can actively remember our ancestors, our family members,
13 our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given
14 the ultimate sacrifice; Memorial Day traditionally has been
15 observed on May 30th of each year, but is currently observed on
16 the last Monday in the month of May; and
 
17     WHEREAS, There are many ways in which citizens of the
18 United States can honor all of the fallen soldiers that have
19 given the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms offered by this
20 great nation, including visiting cemeteries and placing flags
21 or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes, visiting
22 memorials, flying the United State's flag at half-staff until
23 noon, flying the POW/MIA Flag at half-staff until noon,
24 participating in the "National Moment of Remembrance" at 3 p.m.
25 to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, by
26 renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of
27 our fallen dead, and to aid the disabled veterans; and
 
28     WHEREAS, The State of Illinois strongly supports all of our
29 men and women of the armed forces, both active and departed,
30 and wants to further honor the sacrifice of all United States
31 men and women who have faithfully served in our armed forces;
32 and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, It is appropriate that the Illinois General
2 Assembly establish a new Memorial Day tradition honoring our
3 fallen brethren by reading an annual list of all of the names
4 of those American soldiers that have given the ultimate
5 sacrifice; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8 beginning in 2006, the Illinois House of Representatives shall
9 adopt the policy, whether by rule or other action, that
10 provides that the House Clerk shall annually, either on
11 Memorial Day or on a reasonable session day scheduled prior to
12 Memorial Day, read the names of all of the soldiers, from each
13 and every branch of the United States armed forces and military
14 reserves, who have been killed in the line of duty during the
15 prior year; and be it further
 
16     RESOLVED, That the list is to be obtained by the House
17 Clerk no later than May 15 of every year, and the clerk may
18 enlist the help of the United States Department of Defense or
19 the Illinois Department of Military Affairs so that the most
20 accurate account of fallen soldiers may be honored by the
21 Illinois House of Representatives as well as all of the State
22 of Illinois; and be it further
 
23     RESOLVED, That the House Clerk shall always preface the
24 reading of the list of fallen United States soldiers with the
25 following quote from former President Abraham Lincoln as stated
26 in the Gettysburg Address "From these honored dead we take
27 increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the
28 last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve
29 that these dead shall not have died in vain."; and be it
30 further
 
31     RESOLVED, That, if in any year, no soldier in the United

 

 

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1 States armed forces and military reserves has been killed in
2 the line of duty, then the House Clerk shall then offer a
3 moment of silence and reflection to be taken in order to
4 remember those soldiers that have fallen in the past and is to
5 offer a prayer that our soldiers continue to be protected from
6 potential harm while serving our country; and be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution shall be presented
8 to Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of
9 Illinois, Michael J. Madigan; House of Representatives of the
10 State of Illinois Minority Leader Tom Cross; United States
11 Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert; United States Senator Dick
12 Durbin; United States Senator Barack Obama; every member of the
13 Ninety-Fourth General Assembly of the State of Illinois; and
14 every member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.