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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to thank Dick Young for his dedicated
4 service to his nation in the battle of Iwo Jima during World
5 War II; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Dick Young entered active service with the U.S.
7 Marine Corps on February 15, 1943 in Chicago; after training at
8 the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, he was
9 assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 5th Battalion, 28th
10 Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division for training at Camp
11 Tarawa in Hawaii; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Dick Young and his battalion landed on Iwo Jima on
13 February 19, 1945, with the first wave during D-Day; during the
14 course of the battle, he served as the platoon runner; shortly
15 after the landing, he found himself leading his platoon due to
16 the deaths of the platoon leader and most of the responsible
17 non-commissioned officers; near the end of the battle, Mr.
18 Young and his platoon participated in the raising of the first
19 American flag on Mount Suribachi; and
 
20     WHEREAS, On 16 March 16, 1945, Dick Young was wounded by a
21 round from Japanese gunfire, which struck his K-Bar just below
22 the hilt, with the resulting shrapnel entering his right hip;

 

 

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1 he was evacuated to an offshore hospital ship and informed by
2 one of the doctors that he would be going home, as he had
3 received a "million dollar wound"; shortly after receiving
4 treatment for his wound, Mr. Young was asked to return to the
5 fight and he willingly did so; and
 
6     WHEREAS, On March 22, 1945, Dick Young was again wounded by
7 shrapnel from a Japanese grenade and was evacuated for the
8 final time; after his evacuation, he returned to the United
9 States and began recuperating from his wounds at a Naval
10 Hospital in Seattle, Washington; after his recovery, he was
11 assigned to the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia and was
12 assigned as a guard for the Lincoln Memorial in order to
13 prevent continuing vandalism; while stationed at Quantico, he
14 had the honor of attending a performance of the opera at the
15 Washington, D.C. Opera House with President Harry Truman and
16 the Chief of Naval Operations; and
 
17     WHEREAS, On November 9, 1945, Dick Young was honorably
18 discharged with the rank of Private First Class and was awarded
19 the Purple Heart, his 2nd award; and
 
20     WHEREAS, After his discharge, Dick Young attended college
21 and received his master's degree in psychology; while attending
22 college, Mr. Young worked in the construction field and
23 participated in the building of the 1st Oswego Bank and the

 

 

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1 Aurora Hotel; he also served as the first Building/Zoning
2 Director of Kendall County and was largely responsible for many
3 of the wastewater treatment plants along the Fox River in both
4 Kendall and Kane Counties; he was also actively involved with
5 the Kendall County schools, giving lectures about the Battle of
6 Iwo Jima; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Dick Young is a member of numerous organizations,
8 including the Marine Corps League (Fox Valley Detachment 1233),
9 the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Montgomery, and the American
10 Legion in Oswego; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Dick Young was married to his loving wife,
12 Charlene, until she passed away 21 years ago; together, they
13 have four children, David, Scott, Linda, and Carol; he also has
14 seven grandchildren, Anthony, Scott, Gregory, Nicholas,
15 Melanie, Lisa, and Allison, and two great-grandchildren,
16 Alexia and Dylan; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Dick Young's great courage and devotion to his
18 country are worthy of the greatest respect; therefore, be it
 
19     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21 thank Dick Young for his dedicated service to his nation in the
22 battle of Iwo Jima during World War II and wish him the best in

 

 

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1 his future endeavors; and be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3 presented to Dick Young as a symbol of our esteem and respect.