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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,...
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