RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst is a World War II hero whose B-17 Flying Fortress was shot down by German fighters after a bombing mission over Stuttgart, Germany; and
WHEREAS, The plane had dropped its bombs and turned toward England when it was attacked by a swarm of at least ten German fighters; and
WHEREAS, The Messerschmitts unleashed a heavy barrage of bullets that shot out two of the aircraft's four engines and tore into its radio room and tail section; and
WHEREAS, With the aircraft's navigational controls no longer functioning, the pilot dropped the plane's altitude in an attempt to visually follow the Rhine River toward neutral Switzerland; and
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst, a gunner aboard the plane, was on his twelfth mission when his plane eventually ran out of fuel and was forced to crash land; and
WHEREAS, The massive impact killed the co-pilot and injured all of the other members of the crew, causing broken bones and lacerations; and
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst extricated the eight surviving members of the crew from the plane, dragging each of them to safety one-by-one on a rubber raft; and
WHEREAS, Shortly after Donald Hurst successfully completed the rescue, the plane burst into flames; and
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst grabbed for his machine gun and opened fire on German soldiers approaching the crash scene in two trucks, inflicting heavy casualties; and
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst then commandeered one of the trucks, loaded the vehicle with his wounded comrades, and began to drive toward the Swiss border; and
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst eventually encountered American OSS troops dressed as German soldiers and the crew members were transported back to France where they recuperated from their injuries; and
WHEREAS, Donald Hurst later married his sweetheart Lill and they raised a son together; and
WHEREAS, During his post-war career, Donald Hurst worked for the Crane Packaging Company and later was a manager at the Engis Corporation for 22 years; and
WHEREAS, A member of "Our Greatest Generation," Donald is an 86-year-old retiree living in Park Ridge; and
WHEREAS, Despite his heroics and the passage of many years, Donald Hurst has never been appropriately recognized for his remarkable bravery as a member of the United States Army Air Corps; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this eighteenth day of November, 2015 do hereby call upon President Barack Obama to officially bestow in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor upon Donald Hurst to belatedly recognize the heroism, courage and gallantry that he displayed in saving the lives of eight fellow crew members during World War II; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
