Full Text of HR0307 102nd General Assembly
HR0307 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives would like to congratulate Highland VFW Post | 4 | | 5694 on its 75th Anniversary; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Highland VFW Post 5694 was established on | 6 | | February 24, 1946, and its Auxiliary was founded on July 28, | 7 | | 1946; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Highland VFW Post 5694 originated when the local | 9 | | World War I veterans returned home; once World War II started, | 10 | | most of the membership returned to service, and with few | 11 | | members remaining, the Post lost its charter due to lack of | 12 | | participation; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, When World War II ended, the returning members | 14 | | needed a place to gather and to talk about their experiences; | 15 | | they decided to meet at a place called Bucket's Tavern; this | 16 | | location became the meeting place of a group of young men | 17 | | interested in forming a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in | 18 | | Highland; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, The necessary steps were then taken to form | 20 | | Highland VFW Post 5694; the first recorded meeting of the Post | 21 | | was held at the Highland Public School gymnasium on February |
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| 1 | | 24, 1946; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Highland VFW Post 5694 was instituted with | 3 | | approximately 200 members on the charter; this was a group of | 4 | | energetic young men who wasted no time starting fundraising | 5 | | projects, which included dances being held at the Lindendale | 6 | | Park ballroom; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In early 1948, negotiations were started to | 8 | | purchase property consisting of a building, a lake, and | 9 | | approximately four acres; the final purchase was completed in | 10 | | August of 1948, and a new organization named Oversea's | 11 | | Veterans of Highland, Inc. was formed; Highland VFW Post 5694 | 12 | | served as the parent organization with all Post members | 13 | | automatically becoming corporate members; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, On March 10, 1951, a major disaster struck when a | 15 | | defective chimney caused a fire that completely destroyed | 16 | | Highland VFW Post 5694's building; a rebuild plan was then put | 17 | | into place, and the membership responded in excellent fashion | 18 | | with physical labor; the community did likewise with donations | 19 | | of money and materials; in September of the same year, the | 20 | | rebuild was complete, and a grand reopening was held; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Between 1951 and 1967, there were quite a few new | 22 | | additions to Highland VFW Post 5694 after the rebuild; a |
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| 1 | | monument was purchased for the comrades who lost their lives | 2 | | in World War II; a 105 Howitzer Artillery weapon was added, and | 3 | | an additional 14 acres of land were added towards the | 4 | | development of a park; additions were added inside the Post | 5 | | building as well, with the installation of six bowling alley | 6 | | lanes; one final addition came in the form of a jet plane that | 7 | | was mounted outside as a dedication to the memory of those | 8 | | comrades who lost their lives in the Korean War; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Highland VFW Post 5694 has always placed a | 10 | | special emphasis on community service, hosting annual | 11 | | Christmas programs, Easter egg hunts, and trips to Major | 12 | | League Baseball games in St. Louis; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Other contributions to the community have | 14 | | included donations to furnish a room at the local hospital, | 15 | | building baseball fields for boys of the community to use, and | 16 | | providing special lighting equipment for the Highland Fire | 17 | | Department Emergency truck; smaller donations were also made, | 18 | | which included donating flags for schools and churches and | 19 | | Christmas baskets for the needy; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, There has never been a year that Highland VFW | 21 | | Post 5694 has not donated to national organizations such as | 22 | | the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, March of Dimes, | 23 | | United Cerebral Palsy, Cancer Fund, and many more worthy |
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| 1 | | causes; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Highland VFW Post 5694 had peak membership in the | 3 | | early 1970s, including hitting a high of 510 members during | 4 | | the years 1973 and 1974; sadly, many members have passed away, | 5 | | and the current membership stands at 250; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, In 2020, the Highland VFW Post 5694 experienced | 7 | | significant setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, in | 8 | | March of 2021, fish fries with limited attendance were | 9 | | resumed, and the members look forward to coming back strong as | 10 | | more restrictions are being lifted; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The purpose of the VFW shall be fraternal, | 12 | | patriotic, historical and educational, to preserve and | 13 | | strengthen comradeship among its members, to assist worthy | 14 | | comrades, to perpetuate the memory and history of the dead and | 15 | | assist their widows and orphans, to maintain true allegiance | 16 | | to the Government of the United States of America and fidelity | 17 | | to its Constitution and laws, to foster patriotism, to | 18 | | maintain and extend the institutions of American Freedom and | 19 | | to preserve and defend the United States from all its enemies; | 20 | | and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Over the last 75 years, the Highland VFW Post | 22 | | 5694 has endeavored to uphold these principles and pledges to |
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| 1 | | continue to do so as well as push forward for community | 2 | | service; therefore, be it
| 3 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 4 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 5 | | we congratulate the Highland Veterans of Foreign Wars Post | 6 | | 5694 on their 75th anniversary and thank them for their | 7 | | service to the community and the country; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to Highland VFW Post 5694 as a symbol of our esteem | 10 | | and respect.
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