093_HR0441
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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of
3 the State of Illinois are grateful for the men and women of
4 Illinois that choose to serve our country in the United
5 States Armed Forces; and
6 WHEREAS, The men and women of the Armed Forces work each
7 day for the freedom of the people of Illinois, the United
8 States, and the world; they fight tyranny and oppression and
9 are willing to give their lives if necessary; those who are
10 willing to serve sacrifice time with family, familiar
11 surroundings, and community for the good of the American
12 people; and
13 WHEREAS, When those who have served return home to us, we
14 are blessed beyond measure to share time with them; and
15 WHEREAS, On Saturday, July 19, 2003, the people of
16 Bartelso will celebrate the homecoming of three heroes,
17 Sergeant First Class Randall S. Smith, Major Rachele M.
18 Smith, United States Army, and Ronda Lohman, who have served
19 overseas for the United States of America; they have
20 represented our country with honor and valor; and
21 WHEREAS, Sergeant Smith is the son-in-law of Phil and
22 Carol Menkhaus; he is a member of the 5th Special Forces
23 Group, and is a demolitions expert and a medic; he has served
24 in the United States Army for 19 years; he most recently
25 served in Operation Iraqi Freedom; he holds countless awards
26 and has served in several conflicts, including the El
27 Salvadoran Conflict in 1987, the Panama Conflict from 1989 to
28 1990, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2001
29 to 2002; and
30 WHEREAS, Major Rachele M. Smith is the daughter of Phil
31 and Carol Menkhaus; she holds a master's degree in health
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1 administration services; she most recently was deployed to
2 Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a
3 member of the 86th Combat Support Hospital based at Fort
4 Campbell, Kentucky; she served in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan
5 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; she is the
6 recipient of countless awards and decorations and wears the
7 Expert Field Medical Badge and the Army Parachutist Badge;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, Ronda Lohman is the daughter of Mark and Darlene
10 Lohman; she left Bartelso on July 29, 2001 for basic training
11 at Fort Leonard Wood Army Base in Missouri; she completed her
12 Advanced Individual Training at Fort Bliss Army Base in El
13 Paso, Texas; she was then stationed at Osan Air Force Base in
14 Osan, South Korea; she served 18 months in South Korea in the
15 United States Army, with the Air Defense Artillery assigned
16 to the Patriot Missile Launcher; she was promoted to E-5,
17 Specialist, while she was serving in South Korea; and
18 WHEREAS, Those who serve in the United States Armed
19 Forces are sometimes called upon to pay the ultimate price;
20 Lance Corporal Nicholas Kleiboeker had fulfilled a lifelong
21 dream by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps;
22 tragically, he was killed on May 13, 2003 while serving near
23 Al Hillah, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; his
24 memory is to be honored; therefore, be it
25 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
26 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
27 we welcome home Sergeant First Class Randall S. Smith, Major
28 Rachele M. Smith, and Ronda Lohman, and we thank them for
29 their willingness to represent the State of Illinois in the
30 United States Army; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Lance Corporal
32 Nicholas Kleiboeker and his willingness to serve our country;
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1 and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
3 presented to Sergeant First Class Randall S. Smith, Major
4 Rachele M. Smith, Ronda Lohman, and the family of Lance
5 Corporal Nicholas Kleiboeker as an expression of our respect
6 and esteem.