HR0251 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0251 LRB095 11719 KXB 34398 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Sergeant Mark A. Miles of Vandalia as he returns home from his fifth tour of duty in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Mark Miles joined the United States Army after his high school graduation in 1996; he received his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri; while in training he received instruction in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, first aid, and army history and traditions; and

WHEREAS, Mark Miles also completed his Advanced Individual Training as a Combat Engineer; he learned basic construction and rigging operations and how to operate light and heavy engineer wheeled and armor tracked vehicles, he was taught how to assist in assembly and maintenance of military standard float and fixed bridges, prepare and install and prime firing systems for demolition and explosives, and recognize and neutralize landmines, firing devices, and booby traps; and

WHEREAS, Mark Miles was PCS'ed (Permanent Change of Station) to Fort Hood, Texas after the completion of his training at Fort Leonard Wood; he was sent to Kuwait in 1997 as a part of Operation Desert Strike; he returned to Fort Hood after his service in Kuwait and completed additional training before finishing his service in 1999; and

WHEREAS, After returning to Vandalia, Mark worked at different jobs and made the decision to return to the United States Army in 2003; he was stationed in Germany before his company was deployed to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom; the Aco 16th Engineers were stationed at Camp Slayer in Baghdad where they conducted route clearance, area security, ordinance disposal, and search and clear missions; and

WHEREAS, His unit received orders to come home but were turned around in Germany and ordered back to Karbala, Iraq to help against the insurgency; and

WHEREAS, In their next deployment to Iraq, Sgt. Miles and the Aco 16th Engineers began in Tal Afar, securing the border with Syria, the base, and the city itself; the company was split up after this and sent to places such as Ramadi and Hit in the Al Anbar Province; and

WHEREAS, Sgt. Miles and his unit did route clearance, dismounted patrols, forward operating base security, escorted the explosive ordinance disposal crew, held recruiting drives for the Iraqi Army and police forces, did road repairs, walled the city, and constructed an Iraqi Police station for the city of Hit; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Mark Miles is expected to return to his home in Vandalia at the end of April 2007; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Miles has served five tour of duty in Iraq and is looking forward to coming home to spend time with his friends, and his family, including his parents, Bob and Alice Miles and his sister, Jamie; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Sergeant Mark Miles for his dedication to our country and his time of service; we wish him nothing but the best and continued success in his future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to United States Army Sergeant Mark A. Miles as a symbol of our respect.