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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate were saddened 
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to learn of the death of Marine PFC Geoffrey S. Morris on April 
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4, 2004, in combat with enemy forces near the towns of Fallujah 
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and Ramadi in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq; and

 
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    WHEREAS, PFC Morris was with the weapons company of the 2nd 
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Battalion, 4th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine 
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Expeditionary Force; and

 
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    WHEREAS, PFC Morris grew up in Gurnee, the big brother of 
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five other siblings; he played football at the Warren Township 
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Center and local high school for eight years; and

 
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    WHEREAS, He enlisted in the Marine Corps in his last year 
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of high school and began his training soon after graduation in 
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2003; he was last stationed at Camp Pendleton before being 
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deployed to Iraq on February 15, 2004; and

 
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    WHEREAS, PFC Morris was a man of deep conviction and 
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passion for God, his country, and the Marine Corps; his 
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commitment to the mission of bringing peace and stability to 
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the Iraqi people and the region was unwavering; even at his 
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young age, he was able to embody the spirit of the Marine 
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Corps, being faithful always to his family, his friends, and 
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his country; and
 
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    WHEREAS, PFC Morris loved to hunt pheasants, geese and 
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ducks, and fish for salmon and trout on Lake Michigan with his 
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father and friends; he felt fulfilled when playing paintball in 
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the backyard with his buddies; he was most content teaching 
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chess, playing games and entertaining younger kids, and had 
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built some relationships with local Iraqi children; and
 
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    WHEREAS, The passing of PFC Geoffrey S. Morris will be 
 


 






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deeply felt by many, especially his  father, Kirk S. and devoted 
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second mother, Vickie (Vander Werff, Bisk); his siblings, 
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Jennifer, Lauren, Taylor, Austin, and little Dylan; his 
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grandparents, Ralph W. Morris, Virginia Balmes, and Gary L., 
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and Jane Hein; his uncles, Doug and Gary Hein; his grandmother, 
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Helen Lundstrom; his uncles, Christopher Morris, Timothy 
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Morris, and Todd Woods; and his aunt, Melissa Barrett; and
 
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    WHEREAS, He was preceded in death by his mother, Leslie 
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Marie (nee Hein) Morris; therefore, be it
 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of 
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Marine PFC Geoffrey S. Morris along with all who knew and loved 
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him and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, 
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and community; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Marine PFC Geoffrey S. Morris as a 
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token of our deepest sympathy.