Full Text of SR1093 102nd General Assembly
SR1093 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Colonel James Andrew Smith Jr., | 4 | | Illinois Army National Guard (Ret.) of Chatham, who passed | 5 | | away on May 11, 2022; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, James Smith was born to James Andrew Smith Sr. | 7 | | and Alex Lim Clark in Cleveland, Mississippi on December 28, | 8 | | 1959; he married Nilsa Bruno in St. Louis, Missouri on | 9 | | September 22, 1984; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, James Smith began his military career as an | 11 | | enlisted soldier in 1977, commissioning through the Illinois | 12 | | Army National Guard Officer Candidate School in 1982; he spent | 13 | | his early years as a young officer in the 3rd Battalion, 130th | 14 | | Infantry Regiment based in East St. Louis; he managed the East | 15 | | St. Louis Armory and became respected as a member of the | 16 | | Illinois Army National Guard; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, James Smith served in various staff and | 18 | | leadership positions before taking command of the Company C, | 19 | | 3rd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Salem; after company | 20 | | command, he served as assistant S-3 of the 33rd Infantry | 21 | | Brigade before serving as commander of the brigade's | 22 | | headquarters company and finally as commander of brigade S-2; |
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| 1 | | he served as the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 131st | 2 | | Infantry Regiment based in Joliet in 1995; he served as an | 3 | | operations and training officer at the Illinois Army National | 4 | | Guard headquarters in Springfield in 1998; he was appointed | 5 | | commander of the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment in | 6 | | Chicago in 1999; after two years in command, he was | 7 | | transferred to the 33rd Area Support Group (ASG), where he | 8 | | helped coordinate the unit's response to the terrorist attacks | 9 | | of September 11, 2001; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, James Smith was appointed as the deputy chief of | 11 | | staff for Personnel (G-1) in 2003, where he played an integral | 12 | | role in preparing the Illinois Army National Guard units for | 13 | | deployment to Iraq and then Afghanistan before being appointed | 14 | | as the chief of staff of the Illinois Army National Guard, a | 15 | | position from which he retired in 2008; he was then appointed | 16 | | as the chief of staff of the Illinois Department of Military | 17 | | Affairs that same year, where his successes continued; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, James Smith was an advocate and served as | 19 | | executive director for the Lincoln's Challenge Academy; he was | 20 | | also actively involved with the Illinois Military Family | 21 | | Relief Fund, the Illinois State Military Museum, the National | 22 | | Guard Association of Illinois, and, most of all, the soldiers | 23 | | and airmen of the Illinois National Guard and their families; | 24 | | and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, James Smith was proud of being an infantry | 2 | | officer, a devout Catholic, and an unwavering St. Louis | 3 | | Cardinals fan; in his spare time, he enjoyed reading, camping, | 4 | | and traveling; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, James Smith was preceded in death by his father; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, James Smith is survived by his wife, Nilsa Smith; | 8 | | his son, Samuel Smith; his mother, Alex Lim Clark; his | 9 | | siblings, Reginald (Yvonne) Smith, Reba Smith, Ericka Smith, | 10 | | Denise Hampton, and Rebecca (Stevie) Smith-Bowen; and his | 11 | | beloved dog, Timber; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 13 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 14 | | Colonel James Andrew Smith Jr., Illinois Army National Guard | 15 | | (Ret.) and extend our sincere condolences to his family, | 16 | | friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 18 | | presented to the family of James Smith as an expression of our | 19 | | deepest sympathy.
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