H.R. No. 210
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The family and friends of Chief Warrant Officer 3
Wesley Charles "Chuck" Fortenberry of Troy suffered an immeasurable
loss with the death of this valiant man in Iraq on April 11, 2004, at
the age of 38; and
WHEREAS, Based at Fort Hood with the U.S. Army, Chief
Fortenberry was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 227th
Aviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, and had been in Iraq for
about two months; on April 11 he was flying an Apache attack
helicopter on a reconnaissance mission with another pilot when a
fuel convoy was halted by an improvised explosive device just west
of the Baghdad International Airport; once the convoy was
immobilized, it was attacked by insurgents; and
WHEREAS, With their ammunition running low, the convoy called
for assistance; Chief Fortenberry and his fellow officer
immediately turned around to engage the insurgents, and the pilots'
swift response is credited with saving the lives of the soldiers in
the convoy; during the firefight, a surface-to-air missile downed
Chief Fortenberry's aircraft; and
WHEREAS, The son of a military family, this courageous Texan
was born in Woodville on April 15, 1965, and graduated from Kirby
High School in 1983; he attended Stephen F. Austin State University
for a year before enlisting in the army in June 1984; over the
course of his career, he served in the 82nd Airborne and became a
Ranger, in addition to qualifying to fly helicopters; and
WHEREAS, Held in deep affection by his comrades, Chief
Fortenberry was also greatly admired for the many long hours he
devoted to his work, for his warm-hearted, generous nature, and for
the respect he accorded all he worked with, regardless of rank; and
WHEREAS, Among the many military honors he received were the
Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army
Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and Army
Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters; and
WHEREAS, Chief Fortenberry was the devoted husband of Cynthia
and the proud father of three sons, Benjamin, Alexander, and
Nicholas; and
WHEREAS, Through his unfaltering devotion to duty, honor, and
his country, Chief Fortenberry embodied the highest ideals of the
armed services, and the blessing of his life will be forever
cherished by those who were privileged to share in his love and
friendship; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay special tribute to
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Wesley Charles "Chuck" Fortenberry and
extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife,
Cynthia; to his sons, Benjamin, Alexander, and Nicholas; to his
parents, Kenneth Charles and Patricia Fortenberry; to his brothers,
Shawn and Aaron Fortenberry; and to all his other relatives and many
friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Chief
Warrant Officer 3 Wesley Charles "Chuck" Fortenberry.
McReynolds
Craddick Geren Mercer
Allen Giddings Merritt
Alonzo Goodman Miller
Bailey Goolsby Moreno of Harris
Baxter Griggs Moreno of El Paso
Berman Grusendorf Morrison
Bohac Guillen Mowery
Bonnen Gutierrez Naishtat
Branch Haggerty Nixon
Brown of Kaufman Hamilton Noriega
Brown of Brazos Hamric Oliveira
Burnam Hardcastle Olivo
Callegari Harper-Brown Paxton
Campbell Hartnett Pena
Canales Heflin Phillips
Capelo Hegar Pickett
Casteel Hilderbran Pitts
Castro Hill Puente
Chavez Hochberg Quintanilla
Chisum Hodge Raymond
Christian Homer Reyna
Coleman Hope Riddle
Cook of Navarro Hopson Ritter
Cook of Colorado Howard Rodriguez
Corte Hughes Rose
Crabb Hunter Seaman
Crownover Hupp Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Harris
Davis of Dallas Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Dawson Jones of Bexar Solis
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solomons
Denny Keel Stick
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Swinford
Driver Keffer of Eastland Talton
Dukes King Taylor
Dunnam Kolkhorst Telford
Dutton Krusee Thompson
Edwards Kuempel Truitt
Eiland Laney Turner
Eissler Laubenberg Uresti
Elkins Lewis Van Arsdale
Ellis Luna Villarreal
Escobar Mabry West
Farabee Madden Wilson
Farrar Marchant Wise
Flores Martinez Fischer Wohlgemuth
Flynn McCall Wolens
Gallego McClendon Wong
Garza McReynolds Woolley
Gattis Menendez Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 210 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 11, 2004.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House