HR0432 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0432 LRB097 12171 KXB 56368 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Colonel Andrew O. Starr, of the United States Marine Corps, is a native son of the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Colonel Starr was raised in Lake Forest and attended Lake Forest College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History; and

WHEREAS, He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and his Uncle Tom, who had served in the Marines Corps during World War I and World War II, respectively; in May of 1984, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant; and

WHEREAS, Upon graduation from the Ground Officer Supply School, he was assigned as the Maintenance Float officer and later Supply Officer for Marine Air Control Squadron 4, Okinawa; and

WHEREAS, Upon his return stateside in 1987, he was assigned as Weapons Control Officer, Material Division, at the Marine Corps Logistic Base in Albany, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, In June of 1990, he returned to Illinois and was assigned as the Marine Corps Liaison Officer at the Rock Island Arsenal; during Operation Desert Storm, he worked closely with Army personnel ensuring the right weapons systems were deployed to those on the front lines; and

WHEREAS, In 1993, he was selected to attend Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia; after completion of school, Captain Starr served as Supply Officer with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit; in March of 1995, Captain Starr was stationed aboard the USS Kearsarge LHD 3) during her maiden voyage; while deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, during the war in Bosnia, the USS Kearsarge was given the task to rescue downed Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady after he was shot down over Bosnia; the quick planning and reaction of the Marines and Sailors, in which Captain Starr played an integral role, determined the rescue of Captain O'Grady; and

WHEREAS, In 1996, Major Starr was transferred to the Installations and Logistics Department at the Headquarters of the U.S. Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., to assume duties; after his tour of duty stateside, Lt. Colonel Starr was deployed overseas to the III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, to assume his duties as Deputy G-4; and

WHEREAS, In 2002, he was stationed at Scott Air Force Base under a joint command as a Strategic Mobility Staff Officer; in October of 2004, Lt. Col. Starr was assigned to U.S. Central Command, and was assigned to CENTCOM's Deployment, Distribution, and Operations Center in Kuwait to manage airlift requirements for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Horn of Africa Contingency operations until March of 2006; during this time he traveled to many of the globe's "hot spots" during the ongoing War on Terror, bringing his personal powers of persuasion, expertise, and knowledge to ensure the troops in combat were getting the proper supplies; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Lt. Colonel Starr returned to Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to assume duties as Operations Officer Life Cycle Branch; in 2008 he went to the Marine Corps Base at Quantico to assume duties as the Base G-4; and

WHEREAS, During Colonel Andrew O. Starr's long career in the Marine Corps, he has served in duty stations and ports of call spanning the globe, from the United States to the Orient and "East of Suez"; he has earned awards and decorations from the Marines, Navy, Army, and NATO, but more importantly, he has earned the respect of all those he has served with that proudly wear the Globe and Anchor; in life, Colonel Starr embraces the motto of the United States Marine Corps, Semper Fidelis, and we wish him "Fair Winds And Following Seas"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Colonel Andrew Starr on his retirement and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Colonel Andrew Starr as a symbol of our respect and esteem.