Bill Text: IL SR2032 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the death of Michael Daniel Healy.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-11-15 - Resolution Adopted [SR2032 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-SR2032-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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