Full Text of SR2032 100th General Assembly
SR2032 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | 3 | | learn of the death of General Michael Daniel Healy, who passed | 4 | | away on April 14, 2018; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, General Healy was born in Oak Park to Daniel and | 6 | | Helen Healy on June 13, 1926; he was raised with his three | 7 | | brothers; he graduated from Fenwick High School in 1945; after | 8 | | graduation, he enlisted in the military and served as part of | 9 | | the occupying force in Japan; he met Jacklyn Maddrix in Japan, | 10 | | and they married in 1949; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, General Healy served in combat during the Korean | 12 | | War as a company commander in the Army Rangers; he became known | 13 | | as "Iron Mike" for dodging enemy machine gun fire while leading | 14 | | an assault on a hill; in 1953, he joined the Special Forces, | 15 | | where he led guerrilla attacks during the Vietnam War that made | 16 | | him the inspiration for John Wayne's character in the 1968 | 17 | | movie, The Green Berets; his brilliance as a counterinsurgency | 18 | | expert was evident in a career that saw him become one of the | 19 | | first Green Berets to achieve the rank of general; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, General Healy arrived in South Vietnam in 1963 and | 21 | | served five tours for a total of eight years, a remarkable | 22 | | duration for a soldier of his rank; initially, he served as the |
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| 1 | | operations officer and Senior American Adviser to Vietnamese | 2 | | Special Forces, organizing and commanding a battalion-size | 3 | | mercenary unit that bore his name, The Mike Force; in 1970, he | 4 | | was named Commander of Special Forces in Vietnam; in 1973, he | 5 | | began his role as commander of the John F. Kennedy Center for | 6 | | Military Assistance at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and used his | 7 | | experience in Vietnam to modernize the unit's training regimen | 8 | | and create a new emphasis on counter-terrorism operations; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, General Healy was awarded three Distinguished | 10 | | Service Medals, two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star, four Legion | 11 | | of Merit Awards, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple | 12 | | Hearts, and was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the | 13 | | Special Forces Regiment for his time in the military; he | 14 | | retired as the top-ranking Green Beret and as a legend in the | 15 | | Special Forces; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, After his retirement from military service, | 17 | | General Healy was appointed by Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne to be | 18 | | the Chief of Public Health and Safety for the Chicago Housing | 19 | | Authority; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, General Healy is survived by his wife of 69 years, | 21 | | Jacklyn; his children, Dan, Michael Jr., Timothy, Sean, Kirk, | 22 | | and Patrick; his ten grandchildren; and his eight | 23 | | great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 2 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 3 | | General Michael Daniel Healy and extend our sincere condolences | 4 | | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | 5 | | it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to the family of General Healy as an expression of | 8 | | our deepest sympathy.
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