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LRB093 23669 CSA 53680 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the |
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| State of Illinois learned with deep regret of the death of |
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| United States Marine Corps Sergeant Benjamin Kent "Mudcat" |
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| Smith on September 22, 2004; and
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| WHEREAS, Sergeant Smith, 24, was killed in action in the |
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| Al-Anbar Province of Iraq; and
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| WHEREAS, He was born on June 7, 1980 in DuQuoin to James D. |
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| and Kimberlee S. (Cowan) Smith, and was the oldest of three |
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| children; he was a 1999 graduate of Carterville High School |
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| where he participated and lettered in track and football for |
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| four years; he had been a place kicker for Carterville High |
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| School, and was on the 1996 Carterville High School State |
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| Football Class 3A championship team; and
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| WHEREAS, He joined the Marines on June 8, 1999 and was |
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| stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA at the Marine Corps Air |
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| Ground Combat Center as a Tank Commander for 3rd Platoon; he |
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| was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, deployed on February |
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| 29, 2004 with the 7th Marines 1st Tank Battalion, Charlie |
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| Company; he was expected to return home October 10, 2004; and
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| WHEREAS, He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to go |
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| hunting, fishing, and going to Disneyland with his fiancee |
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| Kerri; he also enjoyed playing pool, going to rodeos, camping, |
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| and listening to country music; his greatest joy was coming |
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| home to spend time with his family and friends; and
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| WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his great-grandparents |
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| and his uncle, Richard Cowan; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Sergeant Benjamin Kent Smith will |
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| be deeply felt by many, especially his parents, James and |
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LRB093 23669 CSA 53680 r |
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| Kimberlee Smith; his sister and brother-in-law, Jamie and Josh |
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| Qualls; his brother, Jacob Smith; his grandparents, David |
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| (Bones) and Mary Smith, Helen Sue Cowan, Robert (Cusser) and |
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| Louise Cowan; his fiancee, Kerri Ann Blum; his nieces and |
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| nephew, Kaitlin, Bethany, Caleb, and Kara; his aunts and |
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| uncles, Scott and Judy Houston, Jeff and Diane Eaton, Randy and |
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| Patricia Church, Anita Cowan, Bob and Kristine Adams, Yevette |
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| Johnson, Sherra and Dan English, Nancy and Donald Howell, |
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| Carolyn and Tim Hess, Jeff and Erica Dailey, Teresa Charles, |
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| John Caudill, Lewis Skelton, and Melissa and Dave Draper; his |
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| cousins, Robert Houston, Andrew Houston, Rebecca Green, |
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| Sergeant Michael Eaton U.S.A.F., Clifford Eaton, Raney Church, |
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| Suzanne Drake, Danielle Cowan, Robert Cowan, Phillip Cowan, |
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| Erin Adams, Keely Adams, and Tabatha Adams, as well as several |
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| other cousins; his godfather, Kent (Toby) Tyler; his |
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| goddaughter, Tori Jarvis; and many other loving aunts and |
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| uncles; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| together with his family, friends, and the citizens of this |
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| State and this great nation, we mourn the passing of United |
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| States Marine Corps Sergeant Benjamin Kent Smith, and extend to |
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| his family and friends our sincerest condolences; and be it |
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| further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be |
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| presented to the family of United States Marine Corps Sergeant |
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| Benjamin Kent Smith as an expression of our deepest sympathy.
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