RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski, Sr., a decorated military veteran, led the members of the Chicago City Council in the Pledge of Allegiance on Wednesday, December 11, 2013; and
WHEREAS, A resident of the Archer Heights community, Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski, Sr., served his country with honor and distinction as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II; and
WHEREAS, Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski Sr., enlisted in the military at the age of seventeen and received his framing near Memphis, Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, While serving as a gunner on his very first mission over Europe, Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski Sr., was shot down on December 6, 1944, alongside his fellow crew members aboard the Blanco Diablo which had just bombed oil refineries in Mursberg, Germany; and
WHEREAS, As the B-17 turned toward its base in England, anti-aircraft bullets ripped a hole in a gas tank located inside one of the aircraft's wings, causing a serious fuel leak; and
WHEREAS, The Blanco Diablo cut a fiery streak in the sky as it desperately continued to reach toward home, but was forced to fall out of formation as the aircraft lost both speed and altitude; and
WHEREAS, With its engines failing one-by-one, the captain ordered the crew to lighten the load and everything possible was tossed out of the Flying Fortress, even guns and ammunition; and
WHEREAS, Despite their efforts, the captain ordered the crew to abandon the airplane over Mepple, Holland; and
WHEREAS, While eight members of the crew landed safely in a field below, a ninth crewman was tragically killed after his parachute failed to open; and
WHEREAS, The surviving crew members were all eventually captured and sent to Germany as prisoners of war; and
WHEREAS, Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski, Sr., and his comrades were eventually freed from a prison in Bartli, Germany by an advancing Russian tank unit; and
WHEREAS, Henry J. "Hank" Rutkowski, Sr., was flown to France before boarding a troop ship back to Amer...
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