RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, A native of Paris, France, Prince Michel was a scion of one of Europe's oldest royal families and traced his lineage to the 10th century; and
WHEREAS, Prince Michel fled France with his family and arrived in New York City in 1940 ahead of the Nazi occupation where he joined the United States Army at the age of 17; and
WHEREAS, Prince Michel trained as an Allied paratrooper during World War II and was part of a sabotage team that was dropped behind enemy lines two days after the invasion of Normandy; and
WHEREAS, The three-man team was code-named Quinine and included the now legendary Scottish commando Tommy Macpherson and British army radio operator Sergeant Arthur Brown; and
WHEREAS, Prince Michel and his fellow commandos were tasked with blowing up bridges and other guerilla operations to slow the advance of Nazi forces toward Normandy; and
WHEREAS, Following the liberation of France, Prince Michel was deployed in 1945 to Indochina and was captured and tortured by the Viet Minh; and
WHEREAS, Prince Michel was eventually released and received decorations for valor from France, England and the United States; and
WHEREAS, Prince Michel was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honour and was awarded the British Military Cross and the Croix de guerre; and
WHEREAS, After the war, Prince Michel was a race car driver and carved out a reputation as a successful businessman; and
WHEREAS, The courage, sacrifice and dedication of Prince Michel serve as an example to all; and
WHEREAS, His love of life and ability to live it to the fullest endeared Prince Michel to his family members, friends and all who knew him, and enabled him to enrich their lives in ways they will never forget; and
WHEREAS, Prince Michel was an individual of great...
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