SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) is the chief sponsor and chief co-sponsor of two legislative measures that honor those who have died during military duty.
Sen. Rezin passed Senate Resolution 1088 on May 19, which designates June 21, 2014 as “Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial Day” in honor of those who have fallen during the War on Terror. She is the chief sponsor of the measure.
“This wall is really a beautiful tribute to the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country free,” Sen. Rezin said. “This resolution pays respect to those who have fought against terror and lost their lives protecting all that we hold dear.”
The Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial is located in Marseilles, Illinois and was dedicated on June 19, 2004 commemorating the servicemen and women who have lost their lives in worldwide conflicts since 1979. The names on the wall represent fallen heroes from locations such as Panama, Lebanon, the Balkans, Grenada, Somalia, Haiti, the USS Cole and the USS Start, terrorist attacks in Italy, Greece and Scotland, and the current conflicts in the Middle East.
The second measure, House Bill 5475, allows the Illinois Secretary of State to issue Gold Star license plates to surviving sons or daughters of a Gold Star recipient. Sen. Rezin is the chief co-sponsor and said this legislation will honor the memory of fallen soldiers in Illinois by offering their families this special designation.
“We have several Gold Star recipients in the 38th Senate District,” Sen. Rezin said. “They deserve recognition and privileges, which this legislation will afford. This certainly isn’t a designation that they want, yet it honors the memory of those brave men and women who served our country. ”
Gold Stars are given to the spouse or next of kin of men and women who are killed in the line of duty.
Having already passed the House, the measure will go to Governor Quinn to sign into law if passed by the Senate.
Senator Rezin is pictured above presenting SR 1088 on the Senate floor on May 19.