HR0616 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0616 LRB095 12780 GRL 38159 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of General Wayne Downing of Peoria, who passed away on July 18, 2007; and

WHEREAS, General Wayne Downing grew up on Brons Street in Peoria before joining the U.S. Army; his Army career led him to Okinawa and two tours in Vietnam, where he earned two Silver Stars, the Soldiers Medal, the Bronze Star with V device and five oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart; in 1974, he was picked to help reform the Army Rangers into a larger unit; during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, he commanded 1,200 U.S. Special Forces that halted Iraq's SCUD missile attacks and eased missile threats in the war zone; and

WHEREAS, General Wayne Downing retired as the head of the U.S. Special Operations Command in 1996; as special operations commander, he was in charge of the special operations forces of each service, such as the Navy's SEALs and the Army's Green Berets, approximately 47,000 troops total; after his retirement, he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, credited with creating "operations and organization documents and standardized tactical operations and training for the future Ranger force"; and

WHEREAS, Weeks after the World Trade Center was destroyed, General Wayne Downing was asked by President George W. Bush to come out of retirement and serve as his principal adviser on efforts to detect, disrupt, and destroy international terrorist groups and their support networks; he served in that capacity for nine months before retiring again; and

WHEREAS, General Wayne Downing will be remembered by all who knew him as a highly respected and highly capable soldier and family man whose professionalism and courage were unmatched; 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 General Wayne Downing; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we honor the memory of General Wayne Downing and his willingness to serve our country with bravery and distinction; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of General Wayne Downing as an expression of our sympathy.