HJ0120 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0120 LRB099 16690 MST 41029 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals who have served our country; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Paul Smith died in the service of his country in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in the summer of 2009; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Smith retired from the United States Army in 2006 after tours in Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but he did not retire from combat; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Smith joined the Illinois National Guard with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Smith's 2009 deployment was his third in Afghanistan with Troop C, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry Regiment, providing protection for Embedded Training Teams and the Afghan army; and

WHEREAS, In late August of 2009, at the age of 43, Staff Sergeant Smith volunteered for a mission, manning the gunner position atop a Humvee, fifth in a military convoy; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Smith typically rode in the first or last vehicle in the line; he was killed instantly when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle; another soldier was killed and 2 were seriously injured in the explosion; and

WHEREAS, The device was the first of its kind to be floating in a roadside canal, and not on the side of the road like all the others that had caused so much death and injury in the war in Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, A small home on Jay Street in East Peoria currently holds a beautiful tribute to Staff Sergeant Smith, including photos, a quilt, and a framed sketch by an artist who has done the same for every 2,350 American fatalities in the war in Afghanistan to date; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Smith's dedication, heroism, and courage will never be forgotten by his family, city, State, and country; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of Illinois Route 8 in East Peoria beginning at the intersection of Arnold Avenue and ending at the intersection of Oakwood Road as the "Staff Sergeant Paul Smith Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation is requested to erect, at suitable locations consistent with State and federal regulations, an appropriate plaque or signs giving notice of the name of the "Staff Sergeant Paul Smith Memorial Highway"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Staff Sergeant Smith, the Mayor of East Peoria, and the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation.