Bill Text: IL HR1116 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Honors Olney Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 for publicizing the POW-MIA issue, for educating the public that many prisoners of war and missing in action soldiers are left behind, and their continued commitment to helping American veterans from all wars.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2016-04-05 - Resolution Adopted [HR1116 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HR1116-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The POW-MIA National Chair of Honor "One Empty
Seat" is an initiative that was created to help recognize and
honor more than 92,000 American soldiers who have been
unaccounted for since World War I; and
WHEREAS, These unoccupied seats are dedicated to the memory
of the brave men and women and to the sacrifices each of them
made serving our country; and
WHEREAS, The Chair of Honor will remain perpetually empty,
symbolizing those American prisoners of war and those missing
in action who may never return; and
WHEREAS, The Chair of Honor serves as a reminder to all of
the sacrifices that the men and women serving in the Armed
Forces have made to ensure our continued freedom and way of
life; and
WHEREAS, The first Chair of Honor was installed and
dedicated at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on
Veterans Day in 2012; and
WHEREAS, Sponsored by the Rolling Thunder organization and
Hussey Seating, the program has expanded rapidly, with chairs

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now dedicated in municipal buildings, county courthouses,
state capitals, public facilities, professional and college
sports stadiums, and even the USS Constitution; and
WHEREAS, The object is to place a black chair in a
prominent location to enhance Rolling Thunder's mission of
keeping the memories of imprisoned and missing soldiers alive;
and
WHEREAS, Over 91,000 service personnel who never came home,
whether they were prisoners of war or missing in action, were
honored with the unveiling of a Chair of Honor in Newton; and
WHEREAS, Frank Hull, the founder of Olney Rolling Thunder
Chapter 3, says the Newton chair is the 13th structure his
group has placed in downstate Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Formed in April of 2011, Rolling Thunder Chapter 3
Illinois is a class 501 (c)(4) nonprofit organization serving a
13-county area in southeastern Illinois; and
WHEREAS, On September 3, 2013, the group received their
Rolling Thunder, Inc. charter and became one of over 90
chartered chapters throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, By educating the public that many prisoners of war

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and missing in action soldiers were left behind, the past will
be preserved and the future generations of servicemen and women
will be protected; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
honor Olney Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 for publicizing the
POW-MIA issue, for educating the public that many prisoners of
war and missing in action soldiers are left behind, and their
continued commitment to helping American veterans from all
wars; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Olney Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 as a symbol of our
esteem and respect.