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2018 SESSION

18100199D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 130
Offered January 14, 2018
Commending the Free Burma Rangers.
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Patron-- Freitas
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WHEREAS, for over 20 years, the courageous members of the humanitarian organization, the Free Burma Rangers, have tirelessly provided medical aid, relief efforts, and other support to people in conflict zones around the globe; and

WHEREAS, the Free Burma Rangers was founded in 1997 by David Eubank, a former United States Army Special Forces officer and Christian seminary graduate who had resolved to devote his life to serving others; after meeting a group of ethnic Burmese in need of aid, he began organizing efforts to bring medicine and on-the-ground humanitarian support to people displaced by the ongoing civil war in Burma, also known as Myanmar; and

WHEREAS, with the help of international volunteers and local groups, the Free Burma Rangers has formed dozens of response teams to provide aid to the Burmese people; the organization’s relief efforts have primarily involved medical treatment and survival training; and

WHEREAS, according to the Free Burma Rangers, its volunteers in Burma have conducted over 800 humanitarian missions into war zones, treated more than 500,000 patients, and helped more than 1,000,000 people; and

WHEREAS, in 2015, the Free Burma Rangers expanded its operations into Iraq by working with Kurdish Peshmerga forces and other groups to provide food, shelter, and emergency medical care for those affected by conflicts involving the Islamic State; and

WHEREAS, during their operations in Iraq, David Eubank and other Free Burma Rangers volunteers operated on the war’s front lines and routinely braved gunfire to help rescue children and wounded people; and

WHEREAS, in addition to their work in Burma and Iraq, members of the Free Burma Rangers have conducted aid operations in Sudan and Syria, always at great risk to their personal safety; and

WHEREAS, the humanitarian efforts of the Free Burma Rangers have saved countless lives and stand as a shining example of selflessness, courage, and dedication to helping others; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Free Burma Rangers for the steadfast devotion to providing medical and relief efforts in conflict zones; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers, as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the bravery and sacrifice of the organization’s volunteers.