SR0362 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0362 LRB093 16599 HSS 42248 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Senate of the State of Illinois learned with regret of the death of Sergeant Uday Singh, U.S. Army, of Lake Forest, on Monday, December 1, 2003, in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Singh was raised in India and decided he wanted to live in America when he was 16 and visiting his aunt and uncle in Lake Forest; he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army to achieve his goal of becoming an American citizen after he learned the process was much shorter for veterans of the U.S. military; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Singh came from a military family; his late grandfather, Kartar Singh was a decorated World War II veteran, originally in the Royal British Air Force and later the Indian Air Force; his father, Preet Mahinder Singh Taunque, is retired from the Indian Army; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Singh finished his schooling at St. Stephen's School in India's Sector 45 in 2000; he completed his military training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and then was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas; he was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 34th Armored Regiment, 1st Infantry Division; in early 2002, he was stationed in Kuwait for four months; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his deployment, Sergeant Singh had started working toward a business degree by accumulating college credits from courses he was able to take over the Internet; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Uday Singh is the first native of India to be killed in Iraq; American citizenship was conferred upon Sergeant Singh posthumously; and

WHEREAS, The passing of Sergeant Uday Singh has been deeply felt by many, especially his father and mother, Preet Mahinder Singh and Manjit Singh Taunque; his sister, Bani; his uncle, Prem Jay Datt; and his aunt; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Sergeant Uday Singh, and we extend our deepest sympathy to his friends, family, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of Sergeant Uday Singh and his willingness to serve our country, which led to him making the ultimate sacrifice, his life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Sergeant Uday Singh as an expression of our sincere condolences.