HR0005 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0005 LRB095 04992 KXB 25059 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of United States Army Captain Travis Patriquin of Lockport, who was killed in action in Iraq on December 6, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Travis Patriquin was born on August 15, 1974; his parents are Gary and Connie Patriquin; and

WHEREAS, He attended St. Dennis School in Lockport, graduating from eighth grade in 1988; he graduated from Francis Howell North High School in 1992; after graduation he enlisted in the United States Army; he was recommended for admission to West Point but declined the offer to pursue Ranger training; and

WHEREAS, Captain Patriquin was part of an elite Special Forces unit that served in Central America from 1992 to 1997 where he learned local dialects; in 1997 he returned to Fort Campbell and was sent to a language school in Monterey, California, where he learned "the Kings" Arabic; he then met an Arab family and learned the common form of the language; he later attended officer school at Fort Benning; and

WHEREAS, After the September 11th attacks in New York City, he led a unit in Afghanistan that is credited with starting Operation Anaconda; while serving in Afghanistan he received the Bronze Star; while he was recovering from injuries he worked toward and received his college degree, with a major in Psychology and a minor in history; and

WHEREAS, Captain Patriquin served with the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and was serving in Tikrit, Iraq, with the special forces; while serving in Iraq he developed a program to help reach out to local Iraqi leaders; this program has become an unofficial how to manual on winning the war and has been featured on major news networks; and

WHEREAS, Captain Patriquin was fluent in several languages, including Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and two Central American Indian dialects; he would reach out to anyone willing to learn and would tutor anyone in Arabic; he was a caring man who was a friend to both Americans and Iraqis and his leadership will be greatly missed; and

WHEREAS, Army Captain Travis Patriquin is survived by his wife, Amy; his children, Emily, Harmon, and Logan; his siblings, Daniel, Karrie, and Steven; and his parents, Gary and Connie Patriquin; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of United States Army Captain Travis Patriquin; and be it further

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

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Captain Travis Patriquin, along with our utmost respect.