HR0041 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0041 LRB103 29571 ECR 55966 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives with to congratulate Lorena Jones on the occasion of her retirement; and

WHEREAS, Lorena Jones was born in Coatopa, Alabama in 1959; her parents moved to Waukegan, Illinois in the early 1960s; living with her three brothers and two sisters, there was never a dull day; by the time she was in fifth grade, her parents purchased the family's first home on Elizabeth Street in Waukegan; and

WHEREAS, Lorena Jones graduated from Waukegan West High School in 1978 and later from the College of Lake County with an Associate Degree in Applied Science; and

WHEREAS, Lorena Jones's first job was at Kemper Insurance Company in Long Grove until 1981 when she enlisted in the U.S. Army; she graduated from basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and completed Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Lee, Virginia as a 76C Equipment Records and Parts Specialist; in August of 1981, she reported to her first assignment overseas at Fenton Army Air Field in Wiesbaden, Germany and later to Fort Campbell in Kentucky; and

WHEREAS, Lorena Jones is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; she earned numerous awards and honors throughout her military career, including the Army Achievement Medal, three Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, three Overseas Service Ribbons, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star, the Expert Marksmanship Badge Rifle, and the Sharp Shooter Marksmanship Badge; and

WHEREAS, Upon Lorena Jones' discharge from the Army, she continued to serve her country in various Federal agencies, including the Defense Commissary Agency in Fort Sheridan and the Defense Health Agency under the Department of Defense; she also worked for the Department of Navy and the Department of Veterans Affairs, culminating in 42 years of service to the government of the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, Lorena Jones has been a member of many veteran and service organizations; she was a part of the American Legion Post 0867 for 25 years, Chapter #16 Disabled American Veterans for over 20 years, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) North Shore Post 4737 for 4 years; she has been a faithful member of First Baptist Church of Lake Forest for over 30 years and has served as church secretary, a member of the church choir, and a trustee; and

WHEREAS, Lorena Jones was married for over 25 years to her husband John, and she has three children, Rasche Hill, John Jr., and Shenna Hill and three grandchildren, Jaden Hill, Nathaniel Blake, and Savannah Blake; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Lorena Jones on her retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Lorena Jones as an expression of our esteem and respect.