Full Text of HJR0035 102nd General Assembly
HJ0035 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General | 3 | | Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals | 4 | | who have served our country and, in doing so, have gone above | 5 | | and beyond the call of duty to make the ultimate sacrifice for | 6 | | our nation; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Specialist Brandon Jacob Rowe was killed in | 8 | | action during the War in Iraq near the city of Al Hillah on | 9 | | March 31, 2003; he was a member of the 101st Airborne Division | 10 | | (Air Assault) of the United States Army and was based at Fort | 11 | | Campbell, Kentucky; he was the first Infantryman of the 101st | 12 | | to be killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first | 13 | | from the Northern Illinois Area to be killed in that war; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Specialist Rowe was a machine gun (SAW) operator | 15 | | in his infantry unit that was assigned to a tank unit to | 16 | | provide cover; their combined mission was to perform a "feint" | 17 | | to draw attention from the main attacking force; | 18 | | unfortunately, they came into an ambush situation and were | 19 | | completely surrounded; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Specialist Rowe's death was the catalyst that led | 21 | | the leader of his unit to get the men to safety, off of their | 22 | | assigned tanks, and to find cover; against great odds, the |
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| 1 | | unit continued to fight for eight hours that day, in spite of | 2 | | the fact that information had been offered that there would be | 3 | | little resistance by the Republican Guard Soldiers; no other | 4 | | lives were lost in the battle, making the mission a success; | 5 | | and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Specialist Rowe was posthumously awarded many | 7 | | medals, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart | 8 | | Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal; he earned many | 9 | | other awards and recognitions throughout his military career; | 10 | | and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Specialist Rowe was born in Rockford on April 14, | 12 | | 1982; he graduated from Hononegah High School in 2000; during | 13 | | high school, he worked at DiGiovanni's Restaurant and | 14 | | Highlander Supermarket in Roscoe; he attended Rock Valley | 15 | | College before enlisting in the United States Army in 2001; he | 16 | | planned to continue studying computers after his military | 17 | | service; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Specialist Rowe is survived by his paternal | 19 | | grandmother, Tennessee Sanders; his mother, Wendy Borowski; | 20 | | his stepfather, Rick Borowski; his father, Milton Rowe; his | 21 | | stepmother, Debbie Rowe; his sister, Leah (Doug) Yates; his | 22 | | brothers, Brent and Kevin Rowe; his stepsisters, Heidi and | 23 | | Heather Schultz; his nephews, Devon Yates and Jake and Aiden |
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| 1 | | Rowe; and his niece, Grace Yates; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 4 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of | 5 | | Illinois Route 251 from Bridge Street in Roscoe to Rockton | 6 | | Road in Roscoe as the Specialist Brandon Jacob Rowe Memorial | 7 | | Highway; and be it further
| 8 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Tollway is requested to erect | 9 | | at suitable locations, consistent with
State and federal | 10 | | regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
giving notice of the | 11 | | name of
"Specialist Brandon Jacob Rowe Memorial Highway"; and | 12 | | be it further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 14 | | presented to the family of Specialist Brandon Jacob Rowe and | 15 | | the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.
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