HR0210 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0210 LRB094 11636 CSA 42938 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Alexander Bailey Crackel of England was killed in action February 24, 2005, along the Iraq/Kuwait border, when a bomb exploded near his truck; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sgt. Crackel considered the Army a great challenge and a chance to gain another family; he had the military in his blood, with several members of his family having served in the military, including his father and brother; and

WHEREAS, He had spent several years in England and graduated from the equivalent of high school across the ocean; in 1998, he decided to join the Army and become a career Army man; and

WHEREAS, He had received the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd Award), National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Weapons Qualification Badge (M16a2-Expert); and

WHEREAS, He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Infantryman's Badge, and the Bronze Star Medal; and

WHEREAS, He will be remembered as a quiet man who had a great sense of humor and was always cracking jokes; and

WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife and 7-year-old daughter in England; his father, Clinton E. Crackel of North Aurora; his mother in England, and his brother, James; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that together with his family, friends, fellow members of the United States armed forces, and the citizens of this State and this great nation, we mourn the passing of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Alexander Bailey Crackel and extend to his family our sincerest condolences; and be it further

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