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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, In July of 2012, United States Army 1st Lieutenant | ||||||
| 3 | Clint Lorance was a 29 year old leading a new platoon in the | ||||||
| 4 | 82nd Airborne Division in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, On his 3rd day of combat, 1st Lieutenant Clint | ||||||
| 6 | Lorance was leading his paratroopers through an enemy minefield | ||||||
| 7 | when 3 Afghan men rapidly approached his platoon on a | ||||||
| 8 | motorcycle; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Believing that the men were planning an ambush, | ||||||
| 10 | 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance ordered his paratroopers to fire | ||||||
| 11 | on the Afghans, killing 2 of the men; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Army officials subsequently accused 1st | ||||||
| 13 | Lieutenant Clint Lorance of violating the rules of engagement; | ||||||
| 14 | and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, In August of 2013, an Army court martial convicted | ||||||
| 16 | 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance of 2 specifications of murder, one | ||||||
| 17 | specification of attempted murder, and other crimes; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, After 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance began serving a | ||||||
| 19 | 20-year sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, his defense | ||||||
| 20 | lawyers uncovered evidence that the Afghan men were associated | ||||||
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| 1 | with the Taliban; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, These Afghan men were associated with terrorist | ||||||
| 3 | cells that were responsible for killing 11 United States and | ||||||
| 4 | Afghan coalition forces and wounding 35 others; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance's lawyers uncovered | ||||||
| 6 | the evidence of the terrorist connections after he was sent to | ||||||
| 7 | prison; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance's lawyers have filed | ||||||
| 9 | post-trial appeals in his case, alleging that the Army withheld | ||||||
| 10 | this and other exculpatory evidence that was vital to his | ||||||
| 11 | criminal defense; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, The people of the State of Illinois support what | ||||||
| 13 | President Abraham Lincoln did in another war - granting | ||||||
| 14 | clemency toward American service members; therefore, be it
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| 15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 16 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 17 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the United States Army | ||||||
| 18 | and the President to grant 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance | ||||||
| 19 | clemency in his case or, in the alternative, a new trial; and | ||||||
| 20 | be it further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That we state our belief that the elected | ||||||
| 2 | officials of this nation should not turn against those young | ||||||
| 3 | men and women that they send into harm's way; and be it further | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, That we call for the healing of the wounds that | ||||||
| 5 | have been caused by this long war in Afghanistan, just as | ||||||
| 6 | President Lincoln did when he used his powers to pardon | ||||||
| 7 | soldiers in the Civil War; and be it further | ||||||
| 8 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 9 | delivered to 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance, President Barack | ||||||
| 10 | Obama, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Mark Kirk, Senator John | ||||||
| 11 | McCain, and Senator Lindsey Graham.
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