Full Text of SJR0057 99th General Assembly
SJ0057 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, General George Washington created the Order of the | 3 | | Purple Heart for Military Merit, now commonly called the Purple | 4 | | Heart, during the Revolutionary War; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Desiring to cherish a virtuous ambition in his | 6 | | soldiers, General Washington created the Badge of Military | 7 | | Merit for any singularly meritorious action performed by a | 8 | | soldier; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The Purple Heart is awarded to a member of the | 10 | | United States Armed Forces who is wounded or killed in action | 11 | | as a result of enemy activity; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, The Purple Heart is a symbol of courage and | 13 | | devotion; purple was chosen because it was associated with | 14 | | royalty and would stand out on any uniform; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, In addition to lauding instances of unusual | 16 | | gallantry, the Purple Heart serves as a symbol of extraordinary | 17 | | fidelity and essential service; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The first three Purple Heart recipients were | 19 | | Sergeant Elijah Churchill, Fourth Troop, Second Troop of Light | 20 | | Dragoons; Sergeant William Brown of the 5th Connecticut |
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| 1 | | Regiment; and Sergeant Daniel Bissell of the 2nd Connecticut | 2 | | Regiment; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, General Douglas MacArthur revived the Badge of | 4 | | Military Merit in 1931 for the bicentennial of George | 5 | | Washington's birth; the reissued medal is a gold-plated brass | 6 | | heart with a bust of Washington in the center and the | 7 | | Washington family coat of arms at the top; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, A group of combat wounded veterans in Ansonia, | 9 | | Connecticut formed the first chapter of a civilian organization | 10 | | for Purple Heart recipients; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Other states throughout the country have | 12 | | designated themselves as Purple Heart States; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, The people of Illinois have great admiration and | 14 | | the utmost gratitude for all the men and women who have | 15 | | selflessly served their country; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Illinois' veterans have given their lives so we | 17 | | can maintain our freedom and way of life; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, It is fitting to honor combat-wounded veterans for | 19 | | their service and sacrifice; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | 3 | | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare the State of Illinois as a | 4 | | Purple Heart State; and be it further
| 5 | | RESOLVED, That we give our thanks to all of those who have | 6 | | served and sacrificed their lives for our State and country; | 7 | | and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 9 | | presented to Hayes-Krell Chapter 159.
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