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2017 SESSION

17105559D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 1009
Offered February 16, 2017
Commemorating the life and legacy of Captain Humbert Roque Versace.
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Patron-- Levine
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WHEREAS, Captain Humbert Roque Versace, who grew up in Alexandria, served heroically in battle during the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, while on operations in Vietnam in 1963, Captain Humbert “Rocky” Roque Versace sustained serious injuries but fought on valiantly despite his wounds; and

WHEREAS, Captain Versace was captured and held as a prisoner of war for two years; and

WHEREAS, Captain Versace refused to give his interrogators any information and resisted efforts to indoctrinate his fellow prisoners, enduring regular beatings and torture for his defiance; and

WHEREAS, demonstrating exceptional courage and perseverance, Captain Versace repeatedly attempted to escape from captivity and worked to give his fellow prisoners hope and encouragement; and

WHEREAS, his indomitable spirit unbroken, Captain Versace was executed by his captors in 1965; and

WHEREAS, in 2002, Captain Versace was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism; he was the first member of the United States Army to be awarded the nation’s highest honor for valorous actions while in captivity in Southeast Asia; and

WHEREAS, the plaza in front of the Mount Vernon Recreation Center was dedicated in 2002 as the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza, thanks to the hard work of the Friends of Rocky Versace; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the life and legacy of Captain Humbert Roque Versace; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Friends of Rocky Versace as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the service and sacrifices of Captain Humbert Roque Versace and respect for his memory.