SR0033 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0033 LRB095 06712 KXB 26824 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of United States Army Captain Travis Patriquin, who was killed in action in Iraq on December 6, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Travis Patriquin was born on August 15, 1974, in St. Louis, Missouri; his parents are Gary and Connie Patriquin; and

WHEREAS, He attended St. Dennis School in Lockport, graduating from eighth grade in 1988; he graduated from Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Missouri, in 1992, where he earned letters in track and football; after graduation he enlisted in the United States Army, where he attended Ranger school and entered the special forces; and

WHEREAS, Captain Patriquin served in Central America in 1993 and 1994 where he learned local dialects; later he returned to Fort Campbell and was sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he learned Arabic; he then made friends with two Arabic speakers and learned the conversational form of the language; he later attended officer school at Fort Benning, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, After the September 11th attacks in New York City, he led a unit in Afghanistan that is credited with starting Operation Anaconda; while serving in Afghanistan he fought for 18 hours behind enemy lines and received the Bronze Star; and

WHEREAS, Captain Patriquin served with the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and was serving in Tikrit, Iraq; while serving in Iraq he developed a program to help the military relate to the residents of the dangerous Iraqi province of al-Anbar; and

WHEREAS, Captain Patriquin was fluent in several languages, including Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and two Central American Indian dialects; he would reach out to anyone willing to learn and would tutor anyone in Arabic; he was a caring man who was a friend to both Americans and Iraqis and his leadership will be greatly missed; and

WHEREAS, While serving in Iraq, Captain Patriquin served in the same Army unit that his grandfather, John Patriquin, had served with in World War II; and

WHEREAS, Army Captain Travis Patriquin is survived by his wife, Amy; his children, Emily, Harmon, and Logan; his siblings, Daniel, Karrie, and Steven; his grandparents, Jack and LaVerne Patriquin; and his parents, Gary and Connie Patriquin; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of United States Army Captain Travis Patriquin; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Captain Patriquin and his willingness to serve our country which led to him making the ultimate sacrifice; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Captain Travis Patriquin, along with our utmost respect.