Full Text of HR0179 100th General Assembly
HR0179 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of
Chief | 4 | | Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens, a Central Illinois | 5 | | native and Navy SEAL, who paid
the ultimate sacrifice for his | 6 | | country on January 28, 2017 while on a raid in Yemen; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Chief Owens was born on March 5, 1980 at Methodist | 8 | | Hospital in Peoria; he lived with his parents,
William Owens, a | 9 | | Henry native, and the late Patty Westerfer Owens, a Lacon | 10 | | native, west of Henry; he
was baptized in St. Patrick's Church | 11 | | in Camp Grove; his father was in the apprenticeship program at
| 12 | | Caterpillar; the family then moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, | 13 | | where
his father worked with the police force; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Chief Owens returned to Central | 15 | | Illinois and graduated from Illinois Valley Central High
School | 16 | | in 1998, where he participated in football and baseball; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, After high school, Chief Owens applied for the | 18 | | Navy SEAL program in Coronado, Colorado; he met
Carryn Wiegand | 19 | | while he was stationed in Washington, D.C. and they were | 20 | | married in the chapel at
Arlington National Cemetery; they have | 21 | | three children, Brooke, Luke, and Taryn; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Chief Owens was a highly decorated sailor; he | 2 | | earned two
Bronze Stars with a combat "V" device, a Combat | 3 | | Action Ribbon, a Navy/Marine Corps Achievement
Medal, and two | 4 | | Joint Service Commendation Medals with a combat "V" device; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, On the night of January 28, 2017, Chief Owens was
| 6 | | tragically killed in a raid in Yemen, which left three other | 7 | | SEALs injured; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Defense Secretary James Mattis praised Owens | 9 | | saying, "The United States would not long
exist were it not for | 10 | | the selfless commitment of such warriors. I thank our gallant | 11 | | troops and their
families for their dedication to protecting | 12 | | this nation, and I pass our respects to Ryan's family in this
| 13 | | most difficult time."; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Chief Owens will be missed by his friends, his | 15 | | family, and a grateful nation; therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 17 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we, | 18 | | along with his family and friends, mourn the passing of Chief | 19 | | Special
Warfare Operator Owens William Ryan Owens, and extend | 20 | | our sincere condolences to his family,
friends, and all who | 21 | | knew and loved him; and be it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Chief Owens as an expression of our | 3 | | deepest sympathy.
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