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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate William Wurster on
4 the occasion of his 90th birthday on May 8, 2009; and
 
5     WHEREAS, William Wurster served his country with pride and
6 distinction as a member of the United State Army Air Force
7 during World War II; during the war, he served as a C-47 pilot
8 delivering ammunition and other supplies to the front lines and
9 ferrying wounded soldiers away from combat zones; by the war's
10 end, he had flown 35 combat missions and served in New Guinea,
11 the southern Philippines, Luzon, the northern Solomon Islands,
12 and the Bismarck Archipelago; and
 
13     WHEREAS, William Wurster also flew logistical operations
14 during heavy combat at Peleliu, Okinawa, and Lingayen Gulf; in
15 September of 1944, while ferrying out 30 wounded soldiers
16 during the Battle of Peleliu, his plane was damaged by Japanese
17 ground fire; despite his plane losing an engine, he managed to
18 fly the soldiers 600 miles to Biak to receive treatment; during
19 the same battle, he helped several fighter aircraft that lost
20 track of their objective during a storm to return to an
21 American air base on the island; and
 
22     WHEREAS, William Wurster was present when General Douglas

 

 

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1 MacArthur returned to the Philippines; he also flew over the
2 USS Missouri during the Japanese surrender ceremony; during his
3 service, Mr. Wurster received the Bronze Star, the Silver Star,
4 two Service Bars, the Victory Medal, and an Air Medal, among
5 many others; he was also retroactively awarded the Philippine
6 Liberation Medal by the Filipino government in 1999; and
 
7     WHEREAS, William Wurster was employed at Pontiac, working
8 there until his retirement; and
 
9     WHEREAS, During the 1960s, William Wurster enjoyed racing
10 speedboats, a hobby that earned him numerous trophies; and
 
11     WHEREAS, William Wurster is a member of St. John's Lutheran
12 Evangelical Church; and
 
13     WHEREAS, William Wurster is married to his loving wife,
14 Betty; he has three children, Beverly, Bob, and John, as well
15 as 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; therefore,
16 be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
19 congratulate William Wurster on the occasion of his 90th
20 birthday and wish him many happy and healthy years to come; and
21 be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to William Wurster as a symbol of our esteem and
3 respect.