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H.R. No. 254
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The family and friends of Sergeant William Cody
Eckhart suffered a terrible loss with the death of this brave young
soldier in Iraq on April 10, 2004, at the age of 25; and
WHEREAS, A member of the F Troop 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry
Division, Sergeant Eckhart was killed in action near Khalis while
performing a reconnaissance scouting mission; he was posthumously
awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his extraordinary
valor; and
WHEREAS, Born on September 21, 1978, this lifelong resident
of Rocksprings was a member of the Rocksprings High School State
Cross Country 1-A championship team and the Boy Scouts; a few months
after graduating from high school in 1997, he enlisted in the army,
having placed so high on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery Test that he had his pick of military careers; he chose
scouting and, following his completion of basic training at Fort
Knox, Kentucky, he was assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, as a
cavalry scout; and
WHEREAS, After four years, Sergeant Eckhart signed up for
another tour and was deployed to Vilseck, Germany, serving overseas
tours in Egypt as part of Operation Bright Star; this dedicated
six-year veteran of the army had survived missions in Bosnia and
Kosovo before being sent to Iraq in February 2004; he won numerous
awards and citations that were proudly displayed on his bedroom
wall at home; and
WHEREAS, Like many boys growing up in the Hill Country, Cody
Eckhart enjoyed fishing, hunting, and the outdoors; he also loved
serving his country and thrived on the adventure and intensity of
his work, while remaining aware of the inherent dangers of his
missions; although he knew during his last visit home at Christmas
that he would be sent to Iraq soon, he asked his parents not to tell
other family members so that they might enjoy the holidays and be
spared worry over his safety; and
WHEREAS, Through his selfless and unfaltering devotion to
duty, honor, and his country, this courageous young Texan embodied
the highest ideals of the armed services, and we owe a profound debt
for the enormous sacrifice that he and his family have paid; while
he will be remembered always by his loved ones as a caring son,
grandson, brother, nephew, and friend, he will be remembered by his
country as a hero; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of
Sergeant William Cody Eckhart, United States Army, and extend
profound sympathy to the members of his family: to his parents,
Ronnie and Terri Eckhart; to his sisters, Staci and Erin Eckhart; to
his grandparents, Dorothy Eckhart and William and Roselyn White;
and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House
of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of U.S.
Army Sergeant William Cody Eckhart.
Gallego
Hilderbran
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. 254 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 11, 2004.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House