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2013 SESSION

13104333D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 408
Offered February 7, 2013
Celebrating the life of Brigadier General George Murrell Snead, Jr., USA (Ret.).
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Patrons-- Newman; Delegate: Garrett
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WHEREAS, Brigadier General George Murrell Snead, Jr., USA (Ret.), an admired military officer from Lynchburg who served the nation with great distinction for three decades in the United States Army Signal Corps, died on December 13, 2012; and

WHEREAS, a graduate of E. C. Glass High School, George Snead earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Military Institute; upon graduation, he joined the other young men of his generation in the war effort, serving as a second lieutenant in the United States Army assigned to the 805th Signal Service Company in Europe; and

WHEREAS, George Snead served first as an installation officer and then as a commanding officer of Detachment 12 in the European Theatre and with the initial United States occupation forces in Berlin, and as company commander until returning to the States in 1946; and

WHEREAS, George Snead was then assigned to the Communications Engineering Branch of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer in the nation’s capital before he earned a master’s degree from the University of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, George Snead then reported to duty at the Alaska Communications System, where he served as the Aleutian Sector Commander and oversaw military and commercial communications to Alaska, the continental United States, and the Far East Command, and for emergency air/sea service; and

WHEREAS, after earning a doctorate from the University of Virginia in physics, George Snead served as director of the Technical Requirements Division of the United States Army Electronic Warfare Center, where he oversaw work on electronic countermeasures; he then attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College; and

WHEREAS, from 1957 to 1958, George Snead was the signal advisor to the Vietnamese Army as part of the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Vietnam and worked alongside others to plan a national communications system for Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, upon his return to the States, George Snead served as special assistant to the Chief Signal Officer for the United States Army before becoming acting director of the Research for Ballistic Missile Defense Program; and

WHEREAS, George Snead then served as chief of the Systems Analysis Division for the United States Army Satellite Communications Agency, attended the National War College, and became the Division Signal Officer and Signal Battalion Commander for the 24th Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, a respected leader, George Snead served as the Commanding Officer of the 7th Signal Group in Europe before returning to the States as director of the United States Army Communications/Automatic Data Processing Laboratory; and

WHEREAS, George Snead served briefly as the executive to the Assistant Chief of Staff for Communications and Electronics before his appointment as director of Army Research in the Office of the Chief of Research and Development, where he was responsible for the development of the United States Army research plan and technology forecast; and

WHEREAS, George Snead concluded an illustrious military career as the Deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Strategic Communications Command in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, overseeing the operation and maintenance of United States Army strategic and base communications systems worldwide; and

WHEREAS, for five months as he served as Deputy Commanding General, George Snead also served as the interim director of the SAFEGUARD Ballistic Missile Defense Communications System development and acquisition; and

WHEREAS, over the course of his illustrious military career, George Snead earned the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, six campaign medals, an Army Commendation medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Gallantry Cross, and the Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal; and

WHEREAS, George Snead continued to contribute his time and talents following his military career as the principal scientist for the General Research Corporation in McLean for nearly a decade; and

WHEREAS, despite a demanding schedule, George Snead took an active role in community affairs wherever he was assigned, remained a faithful alumnus of Virginia Military Institute and served in various capacities in the alumni association, and was an outstanding role model to countless young men through his affiliation with the Boy Scouts; and

WHEREAS, George Snead provided strong leadership as president of the National Science Center Foundation and as a member of the board of trustees of the Science Museum of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, upon his return to Lynchburg, George Snead immersed himself in community affairs, serving as board chair of the American Federal Savings and Loan Association, on the board of the Lynchburg Symphony, and as president of the Academy of Music Theatre; and

WHEREAS, George Snead also served as a trustee, board member, and vice chair of Westminster Canterbury in Lynchburg and as an elder at First Presbyterian Church; and

WHEREAS, throughout his long and storied military career, Brigadier General Snead remained true to the values he learned as a young cadet at Virginia Military Institute and served his country with uncommon intelligence and integrity; and

WHEREAS, the recipient of numerous awards and accolades in his public life, George Snead also reaped the rewards of a life dedicated to his family, who provided him with great support and joy; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his son, Jack, George Snead will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Kitty; sons, Mike, Jim, Bill, and Ned, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of an exceptional Virginian and American patriot, Brigadier General George Murrell Snead, Jr., USA (Ret.); and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Brigadier General George Murrell Snead, Jr., USA (Ret.), as an expression of the General Assembly’s great respect and esteem for his memory and for his outstanding service to the nation.