Record #: R2015-832   
Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Intro date: 10/21/2015 Current Controlling Legislative Body:
Final action: 10/21/2015
Title: Gratitude extended to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm veterans for heroic military service and support for establishment of National Desert Storm War Memorial
Sponsors: Villegas, Gilbert
Attachments: 1. R2015-832.pdf

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RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm was waged from August 2,1990 to February 28,1991 in the Middle East, costing the United States billions of dollars and the lives of three hundred eighty-three of our greatest men and women, fourteen of whom were from the state of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Notice of this anniversary was brought to the attention of this esteemed body by the Honorable Gilbert Villegas, Alderman of the 36th Ward; and

WHEREAS, The City of Chicago owes a debt of gratitude to the men and women of our armed forces, as Illinois sent ten Army, eight Navy, and five Air Force National Guard and Reserve units to the Middle East to serve in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm; and

WHEREAS, The public gained greater understanding of the difficulties of war through the work of Dr. John Bailar of the University of Chicago, who studied gulf war illness in 1996. Gulf war illness can involve a series of symptoms such as joint pain, physical malaise, and gastrointestinal disorders, and has been thought to be the result of combat stress, and so, the City of Chicago has been at the forefront of efforts to help our heroes when they return home; and

WHEREAS, Our troops returned having earned victory, as Iraq withdrew from Kuwait. On December 19, 2014, the National Desert Storm War Memorial Committee received Congressional approval, as well as the President's signature, to build a National Desert Storm War Memorial in Washington, D.C. to honor veterans from Chicago, Illinois, and the entirety of the United States for their heroism; now, therefore

Be It Resolved, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago assembled this twenty-ninth day of July, 2015, do hereby thank veterans of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm for their service and sacrifice and we honor the memory of those we lost in the war; and

Be It Further Resolved, That we stand in support ofthe construction and curation of a National Desert Storm War Memorial in our nation's capital, so that people may recognize the achievements of a generation of soldiers.

Gilbert Villegas, Alderman, 36th Ward

 

 

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