HR0735 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0735 LRB101 19716 MST 69574 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Private First Class Miguel A. Villalon of Aurora, who passed away in Afghanistan on January 11, 2020; and

WHEREAS, PFC Villalon was raised in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas; he attended school in Brownsville, Texas from 2004 to 2013; he attended East Aurora High School, where he became captain of the JROTC drill team; and

WHEREAS, PFC Villalon joined the U.S. Army in 2018; he was assigned to the 307th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, PFC Villalon was killed after an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle in Kandahar province, Afghanistan; he was participating in Operation Freedom's Sentinel, a U.S. training and counterterrorism mission; he was on his first combat deployment; he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with "C" Device, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Combat Action Badge; and

WHEREAS, PFC Villalon was preceded in death by his great-grandmother, Rita Rios; his grandmother, Olivia Mendoza; his aunt, Maria Guzman; and his brother, Jesus Villalon Jr.; and

WHEREAS, PFC Villalon is survived by his mother, Olivia Guzman Villalon; his father, Jesus Villalon; his brothers, Arnoldo and Antonio Fernandez; his maternal grandfather, Arnoldo Guzman; his paternal grandparents, Juan Villalon and Elsa Garcia; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Private First Class Miguel A. Villalon and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of PFC Miguel Villalon as an expression of our deepest sympathy.