HR1163 LRB094 20122 HSS 57838 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Martin F. Hawkins valiantly served his country as
3 a member of the United States Army from 1943 until 1945; he
4 served as an infantryman in Company G, 307th Infantry Regiment,
5 77th Infantry Division; his combat experience included action
6 in Guam, the Philippines, and Okinawa, which was the last great
7 battle of the Second World War; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In April of 1945, Martin Hawkins was wounded by
9 shrapnel on the island of Ie Shima, which is part of the
10 Okinawa Island chain, an island the 77th Division was assigned
11 to recapture; he was evacuated to the Army hospital on the
12 island of Saipan, where he received a Purple Heart medal for
13 his wounds; he was transferred to Ordnance Company in Hawaii
14 upon release from the hospital and was promoted to Tech
15 Sergeant 5 while with this company; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Martin Hawkins was released from the service late
17 in 1945 from Camp Grant and returned home to Chicago; his
18 decorations include the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the
19 Pacific Campaign medal with three battle stars, the Good
20 Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Expert Infantry
21 Badge, and the World War II Victory Medal; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Like so many veterans of World War II, he did not
23 receive proper recognition of his service; to further
24 complicate matters, a fire in the Records Processing Center in
25 St. Louis in 1973 destroyed the records of thousands of
26 veterans; and
 
27     WHEREAS, In 2006, the Veterans Administration restored the
28 medals to Mr. Hawkins; therefore, be it
 
29     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
30 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that

 

 

HR1163 - 2 - LRB094 20122 HSS 57838 r

1 we congratulate Martin F. Hawkins on the awarding of his medals
2 for exemplary service to his country; and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4 presented to Mr. Hawkins as an expression of our deepest
5 gratitude for his service to our country.