Full Text of HJR0164 099th General Assembly
HJ0164 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy launched a | 3 | | sneak attack on the American military base at Pearl Harbor, | 4 | | Hawaii; as enemy aircraft unleashed a maelstrom of bombs and | 5 | | bullets overhead, Doris "Dorie" Miller carried countless crew | 6 | | members to safety, including his ship's commanding officer, | 7 | | Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, who died in Miller's arms; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Doris Miller, the ship's cook, left the Captain's | 9 | | side and climbed into the ship's .50-caliber Browning | 10 | | anti-aircraft machine gun and began shooting down the attacking | 11 | | enemy planes until he ran out of ammunition; amazingly, Miller | 12 | | had never been trained on any anti-aircraft, artillery, or | 13 | | heavy gunnery equipment, due to Navy rules that disallowed | 14 | | African-Americans from being trained in combat roles; Miller | 15 | | was the first African-American to be awarded the distinguished | 16 | | Navy Cross, the Naval award second only to the Medal of Honor, | 17 | | for his actions; many schools, United States postage stamps, | 18 | | public parks, municipal buildings, and even a Navy destroyer | 19 | | have been named after Miller for his brave actions; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, As an African-American who served his country at a | 21 | | time when the Jim Crow laws of the South imposed racial | 22 | | segregation and public lynchings of African-Americans | 23 | | desecrated the principles of justice and equality, Doris |
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| 1 | | Miller's courage and selfless example inspired countless | 2 | | African-Americans to support the war effort; his heroic epic | 3 | | helped inspire over one-million African Americans to enlist in | 4 | | a segregated military, serving shoulder to shoulder as one | 5 | | nation in a separate but unequal landscape; Miller also toured | 6 | | the country while still assigned to ship duty to speak to | 7 | | Americans about the importance of service and duty, addressing | 8 | | the first African-American graduating class of the Great Lakes | 9 | | Naval Station before being marked as "missing in action" and | 10 | | "presumed dead" because he returned to ship duty; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Captain Mervyn Bennion was posthumously awarded | 12 | | the Medal of Honor for his actions in leading his men while | 13 | | fighting his last breaths, forcing out orders and directions | 14 | | despite mortal wounds to his stomach by torpedo shrapnel; | 15 | | although Doris Miller is widely known as the "Hero of Pearl | 16 | | Harbor" and 16 Naval service members have already been awarded | 17 | | the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Pearl Harbor alone, Doris | 18 | | Miller, in the face of his great acts of courage, has been | 19 | | overlooked for the Medal of Honor; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Doris Miller was killed on November 24, 1943 | 21 | | during the Battle of Makin Island while aboard the USS Liscome | 22 | | Bay after the ship was struck by a torpedo from a Japanese | 23 | | submarine; he was 24 years old; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Those brave men and women who make the ultimate | 2 | | sacrifice to defend this country deserve our respect and our | 3 | | deepest gratitude; Doris Miller is an American hero, the first | 4 | | African-American hero of World War II, and a shining example of | 5 | | what the Medal of Honor signifies; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 7 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 8 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the President of the | 9 | | United States to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Doris | 10 | | "Dorie" Miller for his courageous actions during the attack on | 11 | | Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; and be it further
| 12 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 13 | | delivered to the President of the United States.
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