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2008 SESSION

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089166408
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 453 Offered February 22, 2008 Celebrating the life of Sergeant William R. Howdeshell. ----------
Patrons-- Alexander, Barlow, Bouchard, Cosgrove, Howell, A.T., Joannou, Lewis, Mathieson, Melvin, Miller, P.J. and Suit; Senators: Locke, Lucas, Miller, Y.B. and Northam
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WHEREAS, United States Army Sergeant William R. Howdeshell of Norfolk died in the line of duty on July 26, 2007, while serving his country in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, born in Springfield, Illinois, Sergeant Howdeshell grew up in Texas and Florida, and in 1996, fulfilling a dream of being in the military, he enlisted in the United States Navy; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Howdeshell’s eight-year Navy career took him many places, including Norfolk, where he worked on Navy helicopters as an aviation electrician and met his future wife, Kimberly; and

WHEREAS, in October 2005, not a full day after being discharged from the Navy, Sergeant Howdeshell joined the Army, which had always been his ultimate goal, and he was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based in Fort Stewart, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Howdeshell’s tour of duty in Iraq began in January 2007; he was a cavalry scout and was commanding a Humvee as it traveled through Saqlawiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device blew up on the road near his vehicle; and

WHEREAS, a posthumous recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, Sergeant Howdeshell will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, his young son, his mother and stepfather, his father, his brothers, and many other family members and friends; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Howdeshell’s death is a reminder of the perils faced daily by the thousands of Americans who serve in our armed forces overseas and whose devotion to duty places them in harm's way; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a courageous and patriotic Virginian, Sergeant William R. Howdeshell; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Sergeant William R. Howdeshell as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the citizens of the Commonwealth.