HR1508 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1508 LRB095 22381 GRL 52716 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Joseph Nimee of Spring Valley on the occasion of being named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the President of the French Republic; and

WHEREAS, The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon in 1802 to acknowledge services rendered to the nation of France by persons of great merit; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Nimee volunteered for the United States Army draft in 1944; after attending basic training at Camp Blanding in Florida, where he was trained to serve with an infantry division in the Pacific theater; in a surprise turn of events, he was assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, which had landed in Southern France, as a replacement; he was then assigned to the 143rd Regiment in the Voges Mountains west of the city of Colmar; the 143rd Regiment was assigned the task of liberating a small village outside Colmar named Bennwihr and safeguarding the French citizens who resided there; and

WHEREAS, Once in Bennwihr, Joseph Nimee was assigned the task of laying phone wire from his company's command post on the edge of Bennwihr to the 3rd Platoon's command post in the center of the town; after the wire was cut, Mr. Nimee, along with other soldiers in his regiment, were sent to investigate; while traveling to the center of the town, Mr. Nimee and his fellow soldiers began to take heavy fire; after two soldiers were hit with enemy fire, Mr. Nimee, at great risk to his own life, ran back from out of cover and retrieved both soldiers; he then proceeded to once again run from cover to provide cover fire for his remaining comrades, who were able to make it to safety; and

WHEREAS, Before arriving at the center of Bennwihr, Joseph Nimee and his regiment were once again put in danger by an artillery attack; with the town being re-occupied by the enemy, the group's objective switched to protecting the citizens of Bennwihr; taking cover in the basement of a building, they found citizens hiding from the fighting and protected them for the night; while taking cover, a German soldier threw a hand grenade in the basement, killing a citizen and several others; Mr. Nimee, severely wounded, was mistaken for dead by the enemy; and

WHEREAS, After laying in the basement for two days, severely wounded, Joseph Nimee was found by a French civilian, who summoned German doctors to his aid; he then spent three months in a hospital in Germany, followed by three months in a prison camp at Stalag 7A in Moosberg, Germany before being liberated by General Patton's forces in April of 1945; once back in the United States, he spent three years in Army hospitals recovering from his wounds; and

WHEREAS, In recognition of his heroic actions in Bennwihr, Joseph Nimee was awarded the Bronze Star; he also awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he suffered and the POW Medal for his time at Stalag 7A; and

WHEREAS, The members of this body, along with the citizens of the State of Illinois, are proud that Joseph Nimee has been honored by the nation of France in such an honorable and deserving manner; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Joseph Nimee of Spring Valley on the occasion of being named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and wish him continued success and happiness in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Joseph Nimee as a symbol of our great esteem and respect.