Full Text of HJR0032 99th General Assembly
HJ0032 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, In July of 2012, United States Army 1st Lieutenant | 3 | | Clint Lorance was a 29 year old leading a new platoon in the | 4 | | 82nd Airborne Division in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, On his 3rd day of combat, 1st Lieutenant Clint | 6 | | Lorance was leading his paratroopers through an enemy minefield | 7 | | when 3 Afghan men rapidly approached his platoon on a | 8 | | motorcycle; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Believing that the men were planning an ambush, | 10 | | 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance ordered his paratroopers to fire | 11 | | on the Afghans, killing 2 of the men; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Army officials subsequently accused 1st | 13 | | Lieutenant Clint Lorance of violating the rules of engagement; | 14 | | and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, In August of 2013, an Army court martial convicted | 16 | | 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance of 2 specifications of murder, one | 17 | | specification of attempted murder, and other crimes; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, After 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance began serving a | 19 | | 20-year sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, his defense | 20 | | lawyers uncovered evidence that the Afghan men were associated |
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| 1 | | with the Taliban; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, These Afghan men were associated with terrorist | 3 | | cells that were responsible for killing 11 United States and | 4 | | Afghan coalition forces and wounding 35 others; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance's lawyers uncovered | 6 | | the evidence of the terrorist connections after he was sent to | 7 | | prison; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance's lawyers have filed | 9 | | post-trial appeals in his case, alleging that the Army withheld | 10 | | this and other exculpatory evidence that was vital to his | 11 | | criminal defense; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The people of the State of Illinois support what | 13 | | President Abraham Lincoln did in another war - granting | 14 | | clemency toward American service members; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 17 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the United States Army | 18 | | and the President to grant 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance | 19 | | clemency in his case or, in the alternative, a new trial; and | 20 | | be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That we state our belief that the elected | 2 | | officials of this nation should not turn against those young | 3 | | men and women that they send into harm's way; and be it further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That we call for the healing of the wounds that | 5 | | have been caused by this long war in Afghanistan, just as | 6 | | President Lincoln did when he used his powers to pardon | 7 | | soldiers in the Civil War; and be it further | 8 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 9 | | delivered to 1st Lieutenant Clint Lorance, President Barack | 10 | | Obama, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Mark Kirk, Senator John | 11 | | McCain, and Senator Lindsey Graham.
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