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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Joseph Nimee of
4 Spring Valley on the occasion of being named a Chevalier of the
5 Legion of Honor by the President of the French Republic; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon in
7 1802 to acknowledge services rendered to the nation of France
8 by persons of great merit; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Joseph Nimee volunteered for the United States
10 Army draft in 1944; after attending basic training at Camp
11 Blanding in Florida, where he was trained to serve with an
12 infantry division in the Pacific theater; in a surprise turn of
13 events, he was assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, which
14 had landed in Southern France, as a replacement; he was then
15 assigned to the 143rd Regiment in the Voges Mountains west of
16 the city of Colmar; the 143rd Regiment was assigned the task of
17 liberating a small village outside Colmar named Bennwihr and
18 safeguarding the French citizens who resided there; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Once in Bennwihr, Joseph Nimee was assigned the
20 task of laying phone wire from his company's command post on
21 the edge of Bennwihr to the 3rd Platoon's command post in the
22 center of the town; after the wire was cut, Mr. Nimee, along

 

 

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1 with other soldiers in his regiment, were sent to investigate;
2 while traveling to the center of the town, Mr. Nimee and his
3 fellow soldiers began to take heavy fire; after two soldiers
4 were hit with enemy fire, Mr. Nimee, at great risk to his own
5 life, ran back from out of cover and retrieved both soldiers;
6 he then proceeded to once again run from cover to provide cover
7 fire for his remaining comrades, who were able to make it to
8 safety; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Before arriving at the center of Bennwihr, Joseph
10 Nimee and his regiment were once again put in danger by an
11 artillery attack; with the town being re-occupied by the enemy,
12 the group's objective switched to protecting the citizens of
13 Bennwihr; taking cover in the basement of a building, they
14 found citizens hiding from the fighting and protected them for
15 the night; while taking cover, a German soldier threw a hand
16 grenade in the basement, killing a citizen and several others;
17 Mr. Nimee, severely wounded, was mistaken for dead by the
18 enemy; and
 
19     WHEREAS, After laying in the basement for two days,
20 severely wounded, Joseph Nimee was found by a French civilian,
21 who summoned German doctors to his aid; he then spent three
22 months in a hospital in Germany, followed by three months in a
23 prison camp at Stalag 7A in Moosberg, Germany before being
24 liberated by General Patton's forces in April of 1945; once

 

 

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1 back in the United States, he spent three years in Army
2 hospitals recovering from his wounds; and
 
3     WHEREAS, In recognition of his heroic actions in Bennwihr,
4 Joseph Nimee was awarded the Bronze Star; he also awarded the
5 Purple Heart for the injuries he suffered and the POW Medal for
6 his time at Stalag 7A; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The members of this body, along with the citizens
8 of the State of Illinois, are proud that Joseph Nimee has been
9 honored by the nation of France in such an honorable and
10 deserving manner; therefore, be it
 
11     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
13 congratulate Joseph Nimee of Spring Valley on the occasion of
14 being named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and wish him
15 continued success and happiness in his future endeavors; and be
16 it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18 presented to Joseph Nimee as a symbol of our great esteem and
19 respect.