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SR0665 |
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LRB093 23295 KEF 53271 r |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois |
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| were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Marine Cpl. |
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| Christopher W. Belchik of Alton who was killed in action August |
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| 22, 2004 in Al Anbar Province, Iraq; and
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| WHEREAS, Marine Cpl. Belchik was assigned to the 2nd |
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| Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine |
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| Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and
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| WHEREAS, Marine Cpl. Belchik grew up in Alton, the youngest |
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| of three children; he was unhappy with high school, dropped out |
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| his senior year and began a series of jobs that were always |
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| rigorous, including working as a bus boy in restaurants, and |
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| most recently, as a hod carrier hoisting mortar for bricklayers |
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| during construction season; and
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| WHEREAS, In 1998, he met and started dating Mary Hamberg; |
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| with her support, he decided to pursue joining the Marines; he |
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| later passed the high school equivalency exam and lost about 30 |
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| pounds to join the Marines; and
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| WHEREAS, Boot camp was especially challenging for Cpl. |
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| Belchik because he was older than most of the recruits, but he |
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| didn't let that discourage him; he served in South Africa and |
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| Kosovo before going to Iraq in January 2003; he then returned |
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| to Illinois last summer and got married to Mary in June; he |
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| went back to Iraq in February and was expected to come home in |
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| October; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Marine Cpl. Christopher W. Belchik |
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| will be deeply felt by many, especially his parents, Stephen |
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| Belchik and Lynn Kenker; his wife, Mary; his brother, Brian; |
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| and his sister, Julie Prats; therefore, be it
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