79S30677 MMS-D

By:  Orr                                                          H.R. No. 262



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The family and friends of Staff Sergeant Johnnie V. 
Mason of Rio Vista suffered an immeasurable loss with his death in 
Al Mahmudiya, Iraq, on December 19, 2005, at the age of 32; and
	WHEREAS, Sergeant Mason was an explosive ordnance disposal 
(EOD) supervisor assigned to the 717th Ordnance Company, 184th 
Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group (Explosive Ordnance 
Detachment), based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; he was felled by an 
improvised explosive device he was working to disarm, after sending 
the other members of his unit to take cover; through his bravery and 
decisive action, he saved the lives of a number of other soldiers; 
and
	WHEREAS, Born to a military family in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, 
Sergeant Mason lived in Rio Vista from the time he was about 12 
until he graduated from Rio Vista High School in 1992; by his 
mid-teens, Johnnie Mason knew that he wanted to be a soldier, and 
when he was 17, he obtained permission from his father to join the 
army reserve; he entered the army in October 1992 and went on active 
duty in 1993; and
	WHEREAS, A door gunner and maintenance chief on Black Hawk 
helicopters, he served in Bosnia while based in Germany and 
patrolled the no-fly zone in Iraq while based in Turkey; and
	WHEREAS, Seeking further challenge, he then completed a 
rigorous, year-long program to become an EOD specialist, a position 
that requires exceptional focus, composure, and analytical 
ability, as well as the capacity to continually adapt to changing 
technology and tactics; and
	WHEREAS, Recognized for his outstanding proficiency and 
dedication, Sergeant Mason often traveled with the Bush-Cheney 
campaign in 2004 to check hotels and ballrooms for explosives, and 
he also accompanied President Bush to Crawford; while stationed at 
Fort Campbell, he served as a reserve deputy/bomb squad volunteer 
with the Montgomery County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Office, and he 
played an instrumental role in designing the EOD truck that was used 
on base; and
	WHEREAS, Sergeant Mason deployed to Iraq in June 2005; during 
his tour there, his unit dismantled three or four bombs a day and 
sometimes twice that number; and
	WHEREAS, The youngest member of the American Legion post in 
Rio Vista, an organization he joined at the age of 17, this 
soldier's soldier had a buoyant spirit and generous heart; his 
ready smile, irrepressible good humor, and thoughtfulness toward 
others won him the deep affection of his family, friends, and 
comrades, and his consummate professionalism earned him their 
highest esteem; and
	WHEREAS, Sergeant Mason was the devoted husband of Brook 
Mason and the proud stepfather of Ashley and Adam Bradley; and
	WHEREAS, The many awards and decorations conferred on this 
valiant soldier include two Purple Hearts and the Army Commendation 
Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense 
Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Army 
Service Ribbon, and Army Overseas Service Ribbon, as well as the 
Army Aviator Badge and expert Weapons Qualification badge; Sergeant 
Mason was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington 
National Cemetery; and
	WHEREAS, Throughout his service in the military, Johnnie V. 
Mason embodied the highest ideals of the United States Army, and his 
fellow citizens owe him a debt of gratitude that the passage of time 
can never diminish; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of 
Staff Sergeant Johnnie V. Mason and extend sincere sympathy to the 
members of his family: to his wife, Brook Mason; to his 
stepchildren, Ashley and Adam Bradley; to his father and 
stepmother, Rodger and Georgia Mason; to his stepsister and 
brother-in-law, Norma and Jesse Hawk; and to all who mourn the 
passing of this beloved Texan; 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 Staff 
Sergeant Johnnie V. Mason.