HR1324 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1324 LRB097 23557 GRL 72599 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate our friend and former Illinois State Representative, Ron Stephens, on the occasion of being honored as the November 2012 Veteran of the Month by the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs; and

WHEREAS, Ron Stephens served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971 as a paratrooper with the storied 173rd Airborne Brigade; he is a combat veteran who suffered wounds to his head, arm, shoulder and hand as a result of enemy fire; and

WHEREAS, Ron Stephens was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Vietnam Service Medal with bronze service star, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with device for his meritorious service; and

WHEREAS, Ron Stephens has done many great works within the veteran community, both in his former capacity as State Representative and in his personal life; he has spent more than 40 years working with the VFW and American Legion to raise funds for veteran causes and has participated in and organized a multitude of events for fellow veterans and their families; he has served as a coordinator of this year's 160-mile Wounded Warrior Walk, which raised $16,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project; and

WHEREAS, Ron Stephens has worked with the Marine Corps League's Trees for Troops and Toys for Tots programs over the past 10 years and, as an Army veteran, was honored with the Marine Corps League Honorary Membership Award; he has donated funds and time to the local Benjamin Mills Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter, where he teaches elementary school children about the significance of Veterans Day and the importance of respecting the American flag and presents all 3rd graders in the local school system with their own flags; and

WHEREAS, As a legislator and veteran, Ron Stephens steadfastly lobbied to name particular roads and bridges in honor of veterans, in addition to his efforts to honor veterans with memorials, including the efforts to name a new bridge being constructed over the Mississippi River in the Metro East area as the "Veterans Bridge" and in the creation of the Springfield Vietnam Veterans Memorial and; he has also been involved in fundraising for a Women Veterans Memorial; and

WHEREAS, Ron Stephens was honored as the November 2012 Veteran of the Month during a ceremony at the First Christian Church in Greenville; and

WHEREAS, Ron Stephens serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois and the world at large; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate our friend and former colleague, Ron Stephens, on the occasion of being honored as the November 2012 Veteran of the Month and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ron Stephens as a symbol of our esteem and respect.