HJ0056 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0056 LRB103 36108 MST 66198 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to those who have served our country and, in doing so, have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Theodore Alexander Katsoolias served in the U.S. Army as a member of 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, On November 25, 1950, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces launched a counteroffensive against U.N. forces after crossing the Yalu River; SFC Katsoolias' unit was positioned near the Chongchon River and soon came under intense attack; unable to halt the enemy advance and in danger of being surrounded, his unit pulled back and was forced to fight against enemy pursuit while also attempting to break through well-defended roadblocks; the withdrawal was not complete until early December and inflicted extremely heavy casualties on his unit; and

WHEREAS, SFC Katsoolias went missing at some point during the withdrawal to Kujang; he was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains have not been recovered; and

WHEREAS, SFC Katsoolias is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Route 59 in West Chicago from Route 38 to Route 64 as the "SFC Theodore A. Katsoolias Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs giving notice of the name "SFC Theodore A. Katsoolias Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of SFC Katsoolias, West Chicago Mayor Ruben Pineda, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.