093_HR0441

 
                                     LRB093 12596 HSS 17787 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The members of the House of  Representatives  of
 3    the  State  of Illinois are grateful for the men and women of
 4    Illinois that choose to  serve  our  country  in  the  United
 5    States Armed Forces; and

 6        WHEREAS,  The men and women of the Armed Forces work each
 7    day for the freedom of the people  of  Illinois,  the  United
 8    States,  and the world; they fight tyranny and oppression and
 9    are willing to give their lives if necessary; those  who  are
10    willing   to  serve  sacrifice  time  with  family,  familiar
11    surroundings, and community for  the  good  of  the  American
12    people; and

13        WHEREAS, When those who have served return home to us, we
14    are blessed beyond measure to share time with them; and

15        WHEREAS,  On  Saturday,  July  19,  2003,  the  people of
16    Bartelso will  celebrate  the  homecoming  of  three  heroes,
17    Sergeant  First  Class  Randall  S.  Smith,  Major Rachele M.
18    Smith, United States Army, and Ronda Lohman, who have  served
19    overseas   for  the  United  States  of  America;  they  have
20    represented our country with honor and valor; and

21        WHEREAS, Sergeant Smith is the  son-in-law  of  Phil  and
22    Carol  Menkhaus;  he  is  a  member of the 5th Special Forces
23    Group, and is a demolitions expert and a medic; he has served
24    in the United States Army for  19  years;  he  most  recently
25    served  in Operation Iraqi Freedom; he holds countless awards
26    and  has  served  in  several  conflicts,  including  the  El
27    Salvadoran Conflict in 1987, the Panama Conflict from 1989 to
28    1990, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2001
29    to 2002; and

30        WHEREAS, Major Rachele M. Smith is the daughter  of  Phil
31    and  Carol  Menkhaus;  she  holds a master's degree in health
 
                            -2-      LRB093 12596 HSS 17787 r
 1    administration services; she most recently  was  deployed  to
 2    Kuwait  and  Iraq  in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a
 3    member of the 86th Combat  Support  Hospital  based  at  Fort
 4    Campbell,  Kentucky; she served in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan
 5    in  support  of  Operation  Enduring  Freedom;  she  is   the
 6    recipient  of  countless awards and decorations and wears the
 7    Expert Field Medical Badge and the  Army  Parachutist  Badge;
 8    and

 9        WHEREAS, Ronda Lohman is the daughter of Mark and Darlene
10    Lohman; she left Bartelso on July 29, 2001 for basic training
11    at Fort Leonard Wood Army Base in Missouri; she completed her
12    Advanced  Individual  Training  at Fort Bliss Army Base in El
13    Paso, Texas; she was then stationed at Osan Air Force Base in
14    Osan, South Korea; she served 18 months in South Korea in the
15    United States Army, with the Air Defense  Artillery  assigned
16    to  the  Patriot  Missile  Launcher; she was promoted to E-5,
17    Specialist, while she was serving in South Korea; and

18        WHEREAS, Those who  serve  in  the  United  States  Armed
19    Forces  are  sometimes called upon to pay the ultimate price;
20    Lance Corporal Nicholas Kleiboeker had fulfilled  a  lifelong
21    dream  by  enlisting  in  the  United  States  Marine  Corps;
22    tragically,  he was killed on May 13, 2003 while serving near
23    Al Hillah, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi  Freedom;  his
24    memory is to be honored; therefore, be it

25        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
26    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
27    we  welcome home Sergeant First Class Randall S. Smith, Major
28    Rachele M. Smith, and Ronda Lohman, and  we  thank  them  for
29    their  willingness  to represent the State of Illinois in the
30    United States Army; and be it further

31        RESOLVED, That we honor  the  memory  of  Lance  Corporal
32    Nicholas Kleiboeker and his willingness to serve our country;
 
                            -3-      LRB093 12596 HSS 17787 r
 1    and be it further

 2        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
 3    presented to Sergeant First Class  Randall  S.  Smith,  Major
 4    Rachele  M.  Smith,  Ronda  Lohman,  and  the family of Lance
 5    Corporal Nicholas Kleiboeker as an expression of our  respect
 6    and esteem.