HR0263

LRB095 11771 MST 34653 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 would like to congratulate Sgt. 1st Class 
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Randy Henk of Elgin on his homecoming from the front lines in 
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Iraq; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Sgt. Henk was first introduced to the Elgin  
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Courier News readers while stationed in Bosnia in 1996, where 
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he wrote letters to the editor about his experiences there, and 
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later as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In January 2006, Sgt. Henk began to write about 
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his experiences while stationed in Iraq in Ramadi and Hit; 
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these stories were published on Saturdays under the heading 
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"Letters to the Homefront"; and

 
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    WHEREAS, These letters brought home to readers the 
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desperate and dangerous situation that soldiers faced every 
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day; people gathered in small groups on Saturday nights to 
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discuss that day's column; Sgt. Henk received so many emails 
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from readers that he could not answer them all, and when a 
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mission occupied so much of his time that he could not file a 
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report that week, the Courier News was flooded with calls from 
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readers concerned about his well-being; and

 
 


 






HR0263
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LRB095 11771 MST 34653 r




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    WHEREAS, Courier News readers in turn supported Sgt. Henk 
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and his fellow troops by donating 25 grocery boxes of items and 
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more than $1,000 to the cause; and

 
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    WHEREAS, A public reception for Sgt. Henk will be held on 
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Sunday, April 1, at the Heritage Ballroom at The Centre of 
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Elgin; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate Sgt. 1st Class Randy Henk on his homecoming and 
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thank him for his service to his country; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Sgt. 1st Class Randy Henk.