Full Text of HR0313 94th General Assembly
HR0313 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HR0313 |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, U.S. Army Sergeant Kenneth Levi Ridgley, formerly | 3 |
| of Olney, died on March 30, 2005, protecting his squad members | 4 |
| from enemy fire at a checkpoint in Mosul, Iraq; just before he | 5 |
| gave his life, he valiantly killed several insurgents while | 6 |
| saving the lives of the members of his unit; and | 7 |
| WHEREAS, The men of his squad and platoon are alive because | 8 |
| of the actions of Sgt. Ridgley, who sacrificed everything for | 9 |
| the men he was sworn to lead and protect; his actions ended the | 10 |
| firefight, allowing his men to be evacuated for medical | 11 |
| attention; and
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| WHEREAS, Sgt. Ridgley joined the Illinois Army National | 13 |
| Guard while a senior in high school, attended Southern Illinois | 14 |
| University, and after fulfilling his obligation to the National | 15 |
| Guard, he joined the Army and was a member of the 3rd | 16 |
| Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry | 17 |
| Division, stationed at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington; and
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| WHEREAS, Sgt. Ridgley was a 1993 graduate of East Richland | 19 |
| High School and was a champion steer roper during his time in | 20 |
| high school and college; and
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| WHEREAS, Sgt. Ridgley will be remembered as a competitive | 22 |
| young man with a sweet disposition who loved riding horses and | 23 |
| playing the drums; and
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| WHEREAS, Sgt. Ridgley leaves behind his mother, Betty | 25 |
| Richards; his father, Clarence Richards; his wife as of August | 26 |
| 7, 2004, Charity, and her 3-year-old son, Dillon; and his | 27 |
| brother and three sisters; and
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| WHEREAS, Sgt. Ridgley volunteered for this second tour of | 29 |
| duty in Iraq after having served as a medic at the beginning of |
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HR0313 |
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| the war due to emergency medical training he received in Olney; | 2 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 4 |
| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 5 |
| together with his family, friends, fellow members of the United | 6 |
| States armed forces, and the citizens of this State and this | 7 |
| great nation, we mourn the passing of U.S. Army Sergeant | 8 |
| Kenneth Levi Ridgley, and we extend to his family our sincerest | 9 |
| condolences; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Sgt. Ridgley's life | 11 |
| and his willingness to serve our country, which led to him | 12 |
| making the ultimate sacrifice; the sheer fortitude and personal | 13 |
| courage that he demonstrated was that of a real American hero; | 14 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 16 |
| presented to his family as an expression of our deepest | 17 |
| sympathy.
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