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| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
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| 3 | Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals
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| 4 | who have served our country and, in doing so, have made the
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| 5 | ultimate sacrifice for our nation; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Sergeant Dean Russell Shaffer graduated from | ||||||
| 7 | Pekin Community High School in 2007, where he was Junior ROTC | ||||||
| 8 | and on the Drill Team all four years; he was also Honor Guard | ||||||
| 9 | his senior year, working
his way up to the top of command; | ||||||
| 10 | following high school, he enlisted in the United States Army; | ||||||
| 11 | he went on to his Advanced Individual Training - Black Hawk | ||||||
| 12 | repair; he was stationed in Hawaii at Scofield AAF from 2009 to | ||||||
| 13 | 2010; his unit, the 25th Infantry Division, was deployed and | ||||||
| 14 | completed a tour in Iraq; after his return from Iraq,
he was | ||||||
| 15 | scheduled to change bases, but he elected to stay with the 25th | ||||||
| 16 | and became Crew Chief; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, On January 9, 2012, the 25th Infantry Division was | ||||||
| 18 | deployed to Afghanistan; on April 19, 2012, Sgt. Shaffer's
crew | ||||||
| 19 | was running a standard escort mission for Med-Vac; later that | ||||||
| 20 | evening, the Black Hawk helicopter he was on crashed, killing | ||||||
| 21 | all four crew members; and | ||||||
| 22 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Shaffer was
posthumously promoted to the rank | ||||||
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| 1 | of Sergeant; he
was awarded numerous commendations, including | ||||||
| 2 | the Bronze Star, the Enduring Freedom Medal, and the Hawaiian | ||||||
| 3 | Honor Medal; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Shaffer is remembered most for his infectious | ||||||
| 5 | smile; his presence would put everyone into a good mood; he | ||||||
| 6 | loved his family, his country, and his
friends, and he was more | ||||||
| 7 | than willing to risk his life to protect all of it; therefore, | ||||||
| 8 | be it
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| 9 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 10 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
| 11 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the section of Illinois | ||||||
| 12 | Route 98 from its intersection with Illinois Route 29 to its | ||||||
| 13 | intersection with McNaughton Park Drive as the "Sgt. Dean | ||||||
| 14 | Russel Shaffer Memorial Highway"; and be it further | ||||||
| 15 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation
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| 16 | is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with
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| 17 | State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
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| 18 | giving notice of the name "Sgt. Dean Russel Shaffer Memorial | ||||||
| 19 | Highway"; and be it further
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| 20 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 21 | presented to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation | ||||||
| 22 | and the family of Sgt. Shaffer.
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