Full Text of SR0520 94th General Assembly
SR0520 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois | 3 |
| learned with sadness of the recent death of Staff Sergeant Gary | 4 |
| R. Harper Jr. of Virden; and
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| WHEREAS, Sergeant Harper was born April 23, 1976 in | 6 |
| Rockford; he was the son of Gary R. Harper Sr. and Linda | 7 |
| Morrison; he was a 1994 graduate of Virden High School, where | 8 |
| he was an active Boy Scout and participated in football, track, | 9 |
| and wrestling, and he entered the United States Army on May 20, | 10 |
| 1993 as an artilleryman; he married Danielle Purkapile on | 11 |
| August 30, 1997 in Oklahoma; and
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| WHEREAS, At the time of his death, Sergeant Harper was a | 13 |
| Special Forces medical sergeant assigned to the 2nd Battalion, | 14 |
| 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), which is headquartered at | 15 |
| Fort Campbell, Kentucky; he arrived at 5th SFG (A) on February | 16 |
| 8, 2005 and was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom | 17 |
| in June 2005; while on a reconnaissance mission near Baghdad, | 18 |
| his unit was attacked by enemy forces, and Sergeant Harper died | 19 |
| during the attack; and
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| WHEREAS, Sergeant Harper had received many military awards | 21 |
| and decorations, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army | 22 |
| Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense | 23 |
| Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, NCO Professional | 24 |
| Development Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Multinational | 25 |
| Force and Observers and Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, | 26 |
| Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism | 27 |
| Expeditionary Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachute | 28 |
| Badge, Driver and Mechanic Badges, and Special Forces tab; he | 29 |
| was posthumously recommended for the Bronze Star Medal, Purple | 30 |
| Heart, and Meritorious Service medal; and
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| WHEREAS, The passing of Sergeant Harper has been deeply |
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| felt by many, especially his wife, Danielle; his two sons, | 2 |
| Tristen and Gabrian; his daughter, Madison; his mother, Linda | 3 |
| Morrison; his sisters, Penny Ward, Christi Hamm, Chantel Cates, | 4 |
| and Dessie Voight; his two brothers, Robert Duffey and Michial | 5 |
| Hardman; his maternal grandmother, Dolores Miller; and several | 6 |
| aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins; he was preceded in | 7 |
| death by his father and his maternal grandfather; therefore, be | 8 |
| it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 10 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 11 |
| Staff Sergeant Gary R. Harper Jr., and we extend our deepest | 12 |
| sympathy to his family and friends and to all who knew and | 13 |
| loved him; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 15 |
| presented to his family as an expression of our sincere | 16 |
| condolences.
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