HR0976LRB102 29355 ECR 41342 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to commend Chief Warrant Officer 4
4Christopher L. "Chris" Murdoch for his decades of dedicated
5service to the citizens of the State of Illinois and the United
6States of America; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1982
8and attended basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training
9Center in North Chicago; after graduation, he attended
10training as an aviation electrician's mate at the Naval Air
11Training Center in Millington, Tennessee followed by Aircrew
12Candidate School at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola,
13Florida; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch then volunteered to be a swimmer
15for Search and Rescue, attending Rescue Swimmer School at the
16Naval Air Station on North Island, California; he then joined
17his first squadron, Helicopter Combat Support Squadron One
18(HC-1), as a crew chief and rescue swimmer on a Sikorsky SH-3G
19Sea King helicopter in 1984; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch transferred to HC-1, Detachment 6
21onboard the U.S.S. Blue Ridge (LCC 19) in Yokosuka, Japan in
221987, where he remained posted for three years; while attached

 

 

HR0976- 2 -LRB102 29355 ECR 41342 r

1to HC-1, he accumulated more than 1,500 hours of helicopter
2crew time; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch volunteered to attend Flight
4Engineer training for the Boeing E-6A Mercury Airborne Command
5Post and Communications Relay aircraft in 1990; he joined
6Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) at the Naval
7Air Station in Barbers Point, Hawaii; while there, he
8accumulated more than 1,840 hours of multi-engine heavy jet
9crew time; he and his squadron were relocated to the Tinker Air
10Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1992; and
 
11    WHEREAS, With the reduction in size of the military upon
12the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War,
13Chris Murdoch chose to leave the U.S. Navy to attend college
14and further his education in 1994; he received his Bachelor of
15Business Administration in Management Information Systems
16(MIS) from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1998 and his
17Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Illinois State
18University in 2001; immediately after earning his bachelor's
19degree, he was recruited by State Farm Insurance, beginning
20his career at the company's corporate headquarters in
21Bloomington; and
 
22    WHEREAS, In response to the terrorist attacks in September
232001, Chris Murdoch joined the Illinois Army National Guard

 

 

HR0976- 3 -LRB102 29355 ECR 41342 r

1(ILARNG) in 2003; he deployed with the 33rd Military Police
2Battalion Headquarters Detachment to Iraq from June 2006 to
3September 2007, where he served as the property book
4noncommissioned officer (NCO); and
 
5    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch attended Army Warrant Officer
6Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Alabama in April 2008 and was
7pinned as a warrant officer one (WO1); shortly after returning
8to Illinois, he was called to flood duty for several weeks on
9the Mississippi River near Pleasant Hill while with the 232nd
10in Springfield; he joined the 404th Maneuver Enhancement
11Brigade in 2010 during its transition from a Chemical Brigade
12based in Chicago to a Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and its
13eventual geographic relocation to Normal; and
 
14    WHEREAS, During his time in the ILARNG, Chris Murdoch has
15participated in over a dozen Warfighter exercises as well as
16numerous other training activities; his rare and unique dual
17MOS training, skills, and knowledge as both a 251A and as an
18140A warrant officer provides him much expertise; he has
19participated in international exercises in Poland, South
20Korea, and Malawi; he has also supported numerous National
21Guard units, both inside and outside Illinois with his Air
22Defense and ADA C2 Systems Integration knowledge and
23expertise; in 2020, he deployed to Ukraine for over 10 months
24as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine; and
 

 

 

HR0976- 4 -LRB102 29355 ECR 41342 r

1    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch's military education includes both
2U.S. Navy and U.S. Army courses, Aviation Electrician's Mate A
3school, Naval Aircrew Candidate School, Aviation Rescue
4Swimmer School, Deep Water Survival Training, Survival,
5Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Level C Training,
6Desert Survival Training, Aviation Rescue Swimmer Instructor
7School, Jungle Survival Training, 6A Mercury Flight Engineer
8Training, 92Y Army Unit Supply Specialists MOS School, Small
9Arms Instructor & Range Operations Training, U.S. Army Warrant
10Officer Candidate School, 251A Information Systems Warrant
11Officer Basic Course, 140A-Air and Missile Defense (AMD)
12Systems Integrator Basic Course, 140A-Air and Missile Defense
13(AMD) Systems Integrator Advanced Course, Air Defense &
14Airspace Management (ADAM) Reset Course, and Multi-Tactical
15Data Link Planners Course; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Chris Murdoch's military awards and commendations
17include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal,
18Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit
19Commendation, Navy "E" Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal, Navy
20Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal,
21National Defense Service Ribbon with Bronze Star, Global War
22on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with two
23Campaign Stars, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service
24Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Mobilization Device,

 

 

HR0976- 5 -LRB102 29355 ECR 41342 r

1Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Army Reserve Overseas
2Training Ribbon, Illinois Military Long and Honorable Service
3Medal, Illinois Military Attendance Ribbon, Illinois State
4Active Duty Award, Abraham Lincoln Medal of Freedom, and Naval
5Aircrew Badge; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
7HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8we commend Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher "Chris" Murdoch
9for decades of dedicated service to the citizens of the State
10of Illinois and the United States of America, and we wish him
11many happy and fulfilling years in retirement; and be it
12further
 
13    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14presented to Chris Murdoch and his family as an expression of
15our esteem and respect.