HR0616

LRB095 12780 GRL 38159 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are saddened to  learn of the death of
General 
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Wayne Downing of Peoria, who passed away on July 18, 2007; and

 
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    WHEREAS, General Wayne Downing grew up on Brons Street in 
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Peoria before joining the U.S. Army; his Army career led him to 
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Okinawa and two tours in Vietnam, where he earned two Silver 
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Stars, the Soldiers Medal, the Bronze Star with V device and 
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five oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart; in 1974, he was 
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picked to help reform the Army Rangers into a larger unit; 
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during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, he commanded 1,200 U.S. 
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Special Forces that halted Iraq's SCUD missile attacks and 
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eased missile threats in the war zone; and

 
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    WHEREAS, General Wayne Downing retired as the head of the 
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U.S. Special Operations Command in 1996; as special operations 
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commander, he was in charge of the special operations forces of 
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each service, such as the Navy's SEALs and the Army's Green 
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Berets, approximately 47,000 troops total; after his 
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retirement, he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, 
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credited with creating "operations and organization documents 
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and standardized tactical operations and training for the 
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future Ranger force"; and

 
 


 






HR0616
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LRB095 12780 GRL 38159 r




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    WHEREAS, Weeks after the World Trade Center was destroyed, 
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General Wayne Downing was asked by President George W. Bush to 
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come out of retirement and serve as his principal adviser on 
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efforts to detect, disrupt, and destroy international 
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terrorist groups and their support networks; he served in that 
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capacity for nine months before retiring again; and

 
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    WHEREAS, General Wayne Downing will be remembered by all 
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who knew him as a highly respected and  highly capable soldier 
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and family man whose professionalism and courage were 
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unmatched; 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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mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of 
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General Wayne Downing; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of General Wayne Downing 
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and  his willingness to serve our country with bravery and 
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distinction; and be it further
 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of General Wayne Downing as an 
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expression of our sympathy.