HR1220 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1220 LRB093 23612 CSA 53615 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives of the State of Illinois were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Army National Guard Sergeant Shawna Morrison of Paris on September 5, 2004 in Baghdad, Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Morrison, 26, was killed in a mortar attack on a United States Army compound on the outskirts of Baghdad; she was with the Army National Guard's 1544th Transportation Company out of Paris; and

WHEREAS, the 1544th is attached to the Army's 13th Corps Support Command, which oversees distribution of military fuel, food, water, and other supplies to United States forces across Iraq; Sergeant Morrison handled satellite and computer communications and drove a truck, and was working mostly in ensuring that communication was maintained between units; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Morrison belonged to the track team and the flag corps at Paris High School; it was Sergeant Morrison's adventurous spirit that propelled her to seek the new, the different, the stimulating, in life; and

WHEREAS, While still in high school, Sergeant Morrison signed up for the Illinois Army National Guard, and in November 2003, while away in college in Champaign, she was called to active duty to serve in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Morrison often took fishing trips with her family, and she was known never to have minded threading a worm onto a hook; she will be remembered by many as a heroic young woman, deserving of honor; and

WHEREAS, Her death will be deeply felt by all who knew and loved her, especially her parents, Rick and Cindy Morrison, and her 17 year-old brother, Allan; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that together with her family, friends, and the citizens of this State and this great nation, we mourn the passing of Army National Guard Sergeant Shawna Morrison, and extend to her family and friends our sincerest condolences; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Army National Guard Sergeant Shawna Morrison, as an expression of our deepest sympathy for their loss.