Bill Text: IL HJR0084 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates Veterans Parkway in the Cities of Bloomington and Normal from the intersection of Interstate 74 to intersection of Interstate 55 as the "Army Ranger Sergeant Joshua P. Rodgers Memorial Highway".
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 8-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-11-08 - Resolution Adopted 109-000-000 [HJR0084 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HJR0084-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, It is highly fitting that the Illinois General
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| 3 | Assembly pays honor and respect to the truly great individuals
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| 4 | who have served our country and, in doing so, have made the
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| 5 | ultimate sacrifice for our nation; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, United States Army Ranger Sergeant Joshua P. | ||||||
| 7 | Rodgers of Bloomington was killed in action at
the age of 22 on | ||||||
| 8 | April 27, 2017 in Nangarhar Province during a joint operation | ||||||
| 9 | with Afghan forces; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers was assigned to Company C, 3rd | ||||||
| 11 | Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and stationed
at Fort Benning, | ||||||
| 12 | Georgia; he was on his third deployment to Afghanistan; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers was born in Bloomington to Kevin and | ||||||
| 14 | Vonda Coulter Rodgers on August 22,
1994; he attended | ||||||
| 15 | Northpoint Elementary School, Kingsley Junior High School, and | ||||||
| 16 | Normal Community
High School; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, After graduating from high school in May of 2013, | ||||||
| 18 | Sgt. Rodgers enlisted in the United States
Army in order to | ||||||
| 19 | serve his country; he completed One Station Unit Training at | ||||||
| 20 | Fort Benning as an
infantryman and following completion of the | ||||||
| 21 | Basic Airborne Course, he was assigned to the Ranger
Assessment | ||||||
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| 1 | and Selection Program 1 (RASP 1), also at Fort Benning; he | ||||||
| 2 | graduated from RASP 1 and was
then assigned to 2nd Platoon, C | ||||||
| 3 | Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, where he served | ||||||
| 4 | as a
machine gunner, light machine gunner, gun team leader, and | ||||||
| 5 | ranger fire team leader; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers was deployed three times to | ||||||
| 7 | Afghanistan; he earned the coveted Ranger Tab,
the Parachutist | ||||||
| 8 | Badge, and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge Expert-Rifle; | ||||||
| 9 | he was awarded the
Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good | ||||||
| 10 | Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the
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| 11 | Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, the Global | ||||||
| 12 | War on Terrorism Service Medal, the
Non-Commissioned Officer | ||||||
| 13 | Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, and | ||||||
| 14 | the NATO
Medal; posthumously, he was awarded the Purple Heart | ||||||
| 15 | and the Bronze Star Medal with Valor; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers loved his country, his family and | ||||||
| 17 | friends, the military, and especially his fellow
Rangers and | ||||||
| 18 | regiment; he knew his purpose in life and was living out his | ||||||
| 19 | dream; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers was an amazing friend with a big | ||||||
| 21 | heart; through hard work and determination
he continually led | ||||||
| 22 | by example and made everyone around him proud; his generosity | ||||||
| 23 | was unwavering
and if you needed anything from him he was | ||||||
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| 1 | always there; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers was preceded in death by his | ||||||
| 3 | grandfather, Mike Rodgers; and
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Rodgers is survived by his parents, Kevin and | ||||||
| 5 | Vonda Rodgers; his sisters, Emily Rodgers
and Hannah Rodgers | ||||||
| 6 | (Nathan Lloilo); his brother, Ashton Rodgers; his niece, | ||||||
| 7 | Victoria Rodgers; his
grandparents, Russ and Diana Coulter and | ||||||
| 8 | Christine Rodgers; and his aunts, uncles, and cousins, Duane,
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| 9 | Trish, Makayla, and Delanie Fisher, Joe and Carrie, Tyler, | ||||||
| 10 | Cecil, and Charlie Rodgers, and Dan, Marcie,
and Charlotte | ||||||
| 11 | Rodgers; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Every person who honorably serves in the military | ||||||
| 13 | knows and
accepts great personal risk, and chooses to serve | ||||||
| 14 | anyway; Sgt. Rodgers was, and forever will be, a
warrior: | ||||||
| 15 | tenacious, humble, determined, and supportive; he was a true | ||||||
| 16 | inspiration to everyone who
knew him; therefore, be it
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| 17 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 18 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE | ||||||
| 19 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Veterans Parkway in the | ||||||
| 20 | Cities of Bloomington and Normal from the
intersection of | ||||||
| 21 | Interstate 74 to intersection of Interstate 55 as
the "Army | ||||||
| 22 | Ranger Sergeant Joshua P. Rodgers Memorial Highway"; and be it | ||||||
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| 1 | further
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| 2 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | ||||||
| 3 | is requested to erect at suitable locations,
consistent with | ||||||
| 4 | State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs | ||||||
| 5 | giving notice of the name
"Army Ranger Sergeant Joshua P. | ||||||
| 6 | Rodgers Memorial Highway"; and be it further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 8 | presented to the family of Sgt. Rodgers, the Mayor of
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| 9 | Bloomington, the Mayor of Normal, and the Secretary of | ||||||
| 10 | Transportation.
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