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2017 SESSION
WHEREAS, Colonel Edward D. Shames, USA, Ret., the last surviving officer of the famed Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, served the United States with distinction during World War II; and
WHEREAS, a native of Virginia Beach, Edward “Ed” D. Shames read about and applied to join one of the United States Army’s new paratrooper units and was assigned to Item Company, 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment as a private in 1942; and
WHEREAS, Ed Shames was promoted to operations sergeant after he demonstrated an aptitude for building tactical sand tables, which were crucial to the planning for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy; and
WHEREAS, Ed Shames made his first combat jump into France as part of Operation Overlord in June 1944 and received a battlefield commission as a second lieutenant in recognition of his leadership ability; and
WHEREAS, Ed Shames was transferred to Easy Company and took command of the company’s third platoon during Operation Market Garden in Holland and volunteered for the Operation Pegasus rescue operation; and
WHEREAS, during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest, when elements of the 101st Airborne were surrounded and severely outnumbered by Nazi forces, Ed Shames cemented his reputation as a tough but formidable leader; and
WHEREAS, Ed Shames’ valiant actions have been immortalized in books and other media, such as Airborne: The Combat Story of Ed Shames of Easy Company, Tonight We Die As Men: The untold story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Tocchoa to D-Day, and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Colonel Edward D. Shames, USA, Ret., the last surviving officer of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Colonel Edward D. Shames, USA, Ret., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his exceptional service in defense of the nation during World War II.