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| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Other states throughout the country have | ||||||
| 12 | designated themselves as Purple Heart States; and
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 8 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 9 | presented to Hayes-Krell Chapter 159.
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