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2001 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 588
Commending Rudolph “Rudy” Boesch.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 11, 2001
Agreed to by the Senate, January 19, 2001

WHEREAS, Master Chief Rudolph “Rudy” Boesch of Virginia Beach retired from the United States Navy on August 1, 1990, following 45 years of continuous and meritorious active duty in which he served almost exclusively in Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) and Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) Teams; and

WHEREAS, Rudy Boesch joined the Navy in 1945 and immediately volunteered for “secret and hazardous duty” with the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, highly classified naval commando units; and

WHEREAS, during a long tour of duty with a Navy UDT Team, Rudy Boesch completed numerous specialized schools and took a lead role in many of the Navy’s experimental operations, building an enviable reputation for proficiency and courage; and

WHEREAS, Rudy Boesch was one of the first Navy men to complete the United States Army Basic Airborne School, after which he was assigned to the Navy SEAL Teams, formed as highly classified units in 1962; and

WHEREAS, in 1962 Rudy Boesch, along with 50 other carefully selected officers and men, formed SEAL Team Two at the Naval Amphibious Base at Little Creek, Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Rudy Boesch became the SEAL Team’s most distinguished enlisted member, assisting in the development of the team’s mission and capabilities and completing two combat deployments to Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, in Vietnam Rudy Boesch served as the senior enlisted advisor for the training of Vietnamese SEAL units and earned a Bronze Star for his actions during more than 45 combat missions; and

WHEREAS, after the war Rudy Boesch continued his outstanding Naval career, receiving the Naval Special Warfare Community’s “Bull Frog,” an award presented to the SEAL serving the longest time on active duty; and

WHEREAS, Rudy Boesch ended his Naval career as the senior enlisted advisor to the Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida, where he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, an honor not easily won by an enlisted man; and

WHEREAS, Rudy Boesch earned more recent recognition for his successful appearance on the popular CBS television program, “Survivor”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Rudolph “Rudy” Boesch for his extraordinary career of service to the United States Navy; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Rudolph “Rudy” Boesch as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration, congratulations, and best wishes.