78R14424 JHS-D

By:  Keffer of Eastland                                           H.R. No. 1176



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The untimely passing of U.S. Marine Major Jay Thomas 
Aubin, who perished in the line of duty on March 21, 2003, at the age 
of 36, has left a void in the lives of the family, friends, and 
comrades-in-arms of this dedicated soldier; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Skowhegan, Maine, on August 8, 1966, Major 
Aubin was serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom when he and 11 others 
were killed after their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed in 
Kuwait, nine miles from the Iraqi border; and
	WHEREAS, Major Aubin enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 
1984 and was trained as an aircraft mechanic; after his transfer to 
the Marine Corps Reserve in 1989, he earned a bachelor's degree in 
business management from the University of Southern Maine and 
rejoined the corps a short time later; and
	WHEREAS, Commissioned a second lieutenant in 1993, Major 
Aubin began flight school in Pensacola, Florida, in March 1995 and 
winged as a naval aviator on December 13, 1996; he was subsequently 
transferred to Marine Helicopter Training Squadron 204 at Marine 
Corps Air Station New River for training on the CH-46 Sea Knight 
helicopter; and
	WHEREAS, Major Aubin's most recent assignment was to Marine 
Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing 
at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona; he graduated from 
the station's weapons and tactics course in 2000 and had returned to 
serve as CH-46 weapons and tactics instructor; and
	WHEREAS, A lifelong lover of aviation, Major Aubin was a 
credit to his country and to his fellow Marines; his passing will be 
mourned by the family members and friends he has left behind, and 
his dedicated service to his fellow Americans will not soon be 
forgotten; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Major Jay Thomas Aubin 
and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his 
wife, Rhonda Aubin; to his children, Alicia and Nathan Aubin; to his 
mother and stepfather, Nancy and Philip Chamberlain; to his father 
and stepmother, Thomas and Carol Aubin; to his brothers, Joel and 
Jeffrey Aubin; to his grandmother, Juliette Willette; to his 
stepbrother, Terry Chamberlain; to his stepsister, Sharon Barnett; 
and to the many other relatives and friends of this beloved and 
respected American soldier; 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 Major Jay 
Thomas Aubin.