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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois learned with deep regret of the death of
4 United States Marine Corps Sergeant Benjamin Kent "Mudcat"
5 Smith on September 22, 2004; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Sergeant Smith, 24, was killed in action in the
7 Al-Anbar Province of Iraq; and
 
8     WHEREAS, He was born on June 7, 1980 in DuQuoin to James D.
9 and Kimberlee S. (Cowan) Smith, and was the oldest of three
10 children; he was a 1999 graduate of Carterville High School
11 where he participated and lettered in track and football for
12 four years; he had been a place kicker for Carterville High
13 School, and was on the 1996 Carterville High School State
14 Football Class 3A championship team; and
 
15     WHEREAS, He joined the Marines on June 8, 1999 and was
16 stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA at the Marine Corps Air
17 Ground Combat Center as a Tank Commander for 3rd Platoon; he
18 was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, deployed on February
19 29, 2004 with the 7th Marines 1st Tank Battalion, Charlie
20 Company; he was expected to return home October 10, 2004; and
 
21     WHEREAS, He was an avid outdoorsman who loved to go
22 hunting, fishing, and going to Disneyland with his fiancee
23 Kerri; he also enjoyed playing pool, going to rodeos, camping,
24 and listening to country music; his greatest joy was coming
25 home to spend time with his family and friends; and
 
26     WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his great-grandparents
27 and his uncle, Richard Cowan; and
 
28     WHEREAS, The passing of Sergeant Benjamin Kent Smith will
29 be deeply felt by many, especially his parents, James and

 

 

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1 Kimberlee Smith; his sister and brother-in-law, Jamie and Josh
2 Qualls; his brother, Jacob Smith; his grandparents, David
3 (Bones) and Mary Smith, Helen Sue Cowan, Robert (Cusser) and
4 Louise Cowan; his fiancee, Kerri Ann Blum; his nieces and
5 nephew, Kaitlin, Bethany, Caleb, and Kara; his aunts and
6 uncles, Scott and Judy Houston, Jeff and Diane Eaton, Randy and
7 Patricia Church, Anita Cowan, Bob and Kristine Adams, Yevette
8 Johnson, Sherra and Dan English, Nancy and Donald Howell,
9 Carolyn and Tim Hess, Jeff and Erica Dailey, Teresa Charles,
10 John Caudill, Lewis Skelton, and Melissa and Dave Draper; his
11 cousins, Robert Houston, Andrew Houston, Rebecca Green,
12 Sergeant Michael Eaton U.S.A.F., Clifford Eaton, Raney Church,
13 Suzanne Drake, Danielle Cowan, Robert Cowan, Phillip Cowan,
14 Erin Adams, Keely Adams, and Tabatha Adams, as well as several
15 other cousins; his godfather, Kent (Toby) Tyler; his
16 goddaughter, Tori Jarvis; and many other loving aunts and
17 uncles; therefore, be it
 
18     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
20 together with his family, friends, and the citizens of this
21 State and this great nation, we mourn the passing of United
22 States Marine Corps Sergeant Benjamin Kent Smith, and extend to
23 his family and friends our sincerest condolences; and be it
24 further
 
25     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
26 presented to the family of United States Marine Corps Sergeant
27 Benjamin Kent Smith as an expression of our deepest sympathy.