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2023 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 719
Celebrating the life of Lieutenant Colonel Justin Constantine, USMC, Ret.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 20, 2023
Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2023

 

WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Justin Constantine, USMC, Ret., a determined advocate for his fellow veterans who touched countless lives through his generosity, compassion, and inspirational resilience, died on May 5, 2022; and

WHEREAS, a graduate of James Madison University, Justin Constantine was commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps after completing law school at the University of Denver; he served on active duty for six years, then transitioned to the United States Marine Corps Reserve; and

WHEREAS, Justin Constantine volunteered as a reservist for deployment to Iraq in 2006 and was wounded in action when he was shot through the side of the head by a sniper while on patrol in Iraq; the catastrophic injury required an emergency battlefield surgery, followed by months of reconstructive surgeries and recovery, and he accepted a medical retirement from the military in 2013; and

WHEREAS, Justin Constantine subsequently joined the U.S. Department of Justice and continued to serve his fellow veterans as counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; he later joined the national security law branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he became assistant general counsel; and

WHEREAS, Justin Constantine cofounded a nonprofit organization that supports military spouse and veterans employment initiatives and authored the book My Battlefield, Your Office; Leadership Lessons From the Front Lines about applying military leadership skills to the private sector; and

WHEREAS, a sought-after motivational speaker, Justin Constantine’s courage, strength, and unfailing optimism empowered others to overcome challenges both in their everyday lives and in extraordinary situations; he continued to inspire those around him even after his diagnosis with stage 4 cancer in 2020; and

WHEREAS, among many awards and accolades, Justin Constantine was selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar and as a Champion of Change for Veterans by former President Barack H. Obama II; he was also featured in former President George W. Bush’s book Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors; and

WHEREAS, Justin Constantine will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Dahlia, and numerous other family members and friends; 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 Lieutenant Colonel Justin Constantine, USMC, Ret.; 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 Lieutenant Colonel Justin Constantine, USMC, Ret., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.