HR0976 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0976 LRB102 29355 ECR 41342 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to commend Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher L. "Chris" Murdoch for his decades of dedicated service to the citizens of the State of Illinois and the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982 and attended basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in North Chicago; after graduation, he attended training as an aviation electrician's mate at the Naval Air Training Center in Millington, Tennessee followed by Aircrew Candidate School at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida; and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch then volunteered to be a swimmer for Search and Rescue, attending Rescue Swimmer School at the Naval Air Station on North Island, California; he then joined his first squadron, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron One (HC-1), as a crew chief and rescue swimmer on a Sikorsky SH-3G Sea King helicopter in 1984; and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch transferred to HC-1, Detachment 6 onboard the U.S.S. Blue Ridge (LCC 19) in Yokosuka, Japan in 1987, where he remained posted for three years; while attached to HC-1, he accumulated more than 1,500 hours of helicopter crew time; and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch volunteered to attend Flight Engineer training for the Boeing E-6A Mercury Airborne Command Post and Communications Relay aircraft in 1990; he joined Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) at the Naval Air Station in Barbers Point, Hawaii; while there, he accumulated more than 1,840 hours of multi-engine heavy jet crew time; he and his squadron were relocated to the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1992; and

WHEREAS, With the reduction in size of the military upon the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, Chris Murdoch chose to leave the U.S. Navy to attend college and further his education in 1994; he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1998 and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Illinois State University in 2001; immediately after earning his bachelor's degree, he was recruited by State Farm Insurance, beginning his career at the company's corporate headquarters in Bloomington; and

WHEREAS, In response to the terrorist attacks in September 2001, Chris Murdoch joined the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) in 2003; he deployed with the 33rd Military Police Battalion Headquarters Detachment to Iraq from June 2006 to September 2007, where he served as the property book noncommissioned officer (NCO); and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch attended Army Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Alabama in April 2008 and was pinned as a warrant officer one (WO1); shortly after returning to Illinois, he was called to flood duty for several weeks on the Mississippi River near Pleasant Hill while with the 232nd in Springfield; he joined the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in 2010 during its transition from a Chemical Brigade based in Chicago to a Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and its eventual geographic relocation to Normal; and

WHEREAS, During his time in the ILARNG, Chris Murdoch has participated in over a dozen Warfighter exercises as well as numerous other training activities; his rare and unique dual MOS training, skills, and knowledge as both a 251A and as an 140A warrant officer provides him much expertise; he has participated in international exercises in Poland, South Korea, and Malawi; he has also supported numerous National Guard units, both inside and outside Illinois with his Air Defense and ADA C2 Systems Integration knowledge and expertise; in 2020, he deployed to Ukraine for over 10 months as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine; and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch's military education includes both U.S. Navy and U.S. Army courses, Aviation Electrician's Mate A school, Naval Aircrew Candidate School, Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, Deep Water Survival Training, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Level C Training, Desert Survival Training, Aviation Rescue Swimmer Instructor School, Jungle Survival Training, 6A Mercury Flight Engineer Training, 92Y Army Unit Supply Specialists MOS School, Small Arms Instructor & Range Operations Training, U.S. Army Warrant Officer Candidate School, 251A Information Systems Warrant Officer Basic Course, 140A-Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Systems Integrator Basic Course, 140A-Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Systems Integrator Advanced Course, Air Defense & Airspace Management (ADAM) Reset Course, and Multi-Tactical Data Link Planners Course; and

WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch's military awards and commendations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy "E" Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Ribbon with Bronze Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization Device, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon, Illinois Military Long and Honorable Service Medal, Illinois Military Attendance Ribbon, Illinois State Active Duty Award, Abraham Lincoln Medal of Freedom, and Naval Aircrew Badge; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher "Chris" Murdoch for decades of dedicated service to the citizens of the State of Illinois and the United States of America, and we wish him many happy and fulfilling years in retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Chris Murdoch and his family as an expression of our esteem and respect.