Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0179
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Full Text of HR0179  100th General Assembly

HR0179 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Chief
4Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens, a Central Illinois
5native and Navy SEAL, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his
6country on January 28, 2017 while on a raid in Yemen; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Chief Owens was born on March 5, 1980 at Methodist
8Hospital in Peoria; he lived with his parents, William Owens, a
9Henry native, and the late Patty Westerfer Owens, a Lacon
10native, west of Henry; he was baptized in St. Patrick's Church
11in Camp Grove; his father was in the apprenticeship program at
12Caterpillar; the family then moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,
13where his father worked with the police force; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Chief Owens returned to Central
15Illinois and graduated from Illinois Valley Central High School
16in 1998, where he participated in football and baseball; and
 
17    WHEREAS, After high school, Chief Owens applied for the
18Navy SEAL program in Coronado, Colorado; he met Carryn Wiegand
19while he was stationed in Washington, D.C. and they were
20married in the chapel at Arlington National Cemetery; they have
21three children, Brooke, Luke, and Taryn; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Chief Owens was a highly decorated sailor; he
2earned two Bronze Stars with a combat "V" device, a Combat
3Action Ribbon, a Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and two
4Joint Service Commendation Medals with a combat "V" device; and
 
5    WHEREAS, On the night of January 28, 2017, Chief Owens was
6tragically killed in a raid in Yemen, which left three other
7SEALs injured; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Defense Secretary James Mattis praised Owens
9saying, "The United States would not long exist were it not for
10the selfless commitment of such warriors. I thank our gallant
11troops and their families for their dedication to protecting
12this nation, and I pass our respects to Ryan's family in this
13most difficult time."; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Chief Owens will be missed by his friends, his
15family, and a grateful nation; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we,
18along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Chief
19Special Warfare Operator Owens William Ryan Owens, and extend
20our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who
21knew and loved him; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Chief Owens as an expression of our
3deepest sympathy.