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2016 SESSION

16106011D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 533
Offered March 7, 2016
Celebrating the life of Sergeant First Class Raymond K. McMillian.
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Patrons-- Marshall, D.W., Adams and Poindexter; Senators: Ruff and Stanley
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WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Raymond K. McMillian, who died in February 1954, while a prisoner of war in North Korea, will be laid to rest with full military honors in Henry County on March 26, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Raymond K. McMillian was the son of the late Clarence Richard McMillian and Viola Keen McMillian and lived in the Axton community of Henry County; and

WHEREAS, SFC McMillian joined many of the other young men of his generation in service to the nation during the Korean War as a member of the United States Army and was assigned to the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, as a medic; and

WHEREAS, on February 5, 1951, the 38th Infantry Regiment provided support for an assault toward Hongcheon; during the battle, SFC McMillian and other members of the 38th Infantry were cut off behind enemy lines; and

WHEREAS, an extremely courageous soldier, SFC McMillian was last seen near Hoengsong, providing aid to the wounded during a fighting withdrawal, and was declared missing in action on February 12, 1951; and

WHEREAS, in June 1951, it was reported that SFC McMillian was being held as a prisoner of war, but efforts to locate him were unsuccessful; he was listed as missing in action until 1954, when he was declared dead and posthumously promoted to sergeant first class; and

WHEREAS, it took several decades of hard work and dedication by skilled diplomats, military personnel, and family members to identify and bring SFC McMillian’s earthly remains home for burial; and

WHEREAS, on March 26, 2016, SFC McMillian’s remains will finally be laid to rest with full military honors, following a service at One Accord Baptist Church in Martinsville; and

WHEREAS, SFC McMillian’s family made tremendous sacrifices and endured great distress in the more than 60 years they waited before he was brought home for burial; and

WHEREAS, SFC McMillian’s sacrifice is a solemn reminder of the perils faced by the thousands of Americans who serve overseas as members of the United States Armed Forces 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 Sergeant First Class Raymond K. McMillian; 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 First Class Raymond K. McMillian, as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.