79R4720 BJM-D

By:  Casteel                                                      H.R. No. 216



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The family and friends of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal 
Tony Leigh Hernandez suffered an immeasurable loss with the death 
of this valiant soldier on January 25, 2005, at the age of 22; and
	WHEREAS, Deployed in Iraq since July 2004, where he served as 
a helicopter crew chief, Lance Corporal Hernandez died in the crash 
of his aircraft near Ar Rutbah, Iraq; and
	WHEREAS, This brave young Texan was born on November 25, 
1982, and was a 2001 graduate of Smithson Valley High School, where 
he was active in the Navy ROTC; fulfilling a dream of serving his 
country, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2002; and
	WHEREAS, Our state and nation are fortunate to have men and 
women whose love for their country inspires them to take up military 
service, yet the tragic death of this exemplary young man is a 
sobering reminder of the cost of war; Lance Corporal Hernandez 
embodied the highest ideals of the U.S. Armed Forces, and those who 
knew and loved him well will forever carry him close in their 
hearts; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Lance 
Corporal Tony Leigh Hernandez and extend profound sympathy to the 
members of his family: to his wife, Jacquie Hernandez; to his 
mother, Janette Trout; to his father and stepmother, LeRoy  and 
Evelyn Hernandez; to his sister, Tracy Mendez, and her husband, 
Lucky; to his brothers, Christopher Hernandez, and his wife, Amy, 
and Charlie Hernandez and Staci Stephenson; to his grandparents, 
Darold and Alvena Wingert; to his step-grandparents, Jackie and 
Wilburn Simon; to his stepsister, Melissa Everett, and her husband, 
Jimmy; to his stepbrothers, Robert and Austin Mittelstadt; to his 
mother-in-law, Cindy King; and to the other family members and many 
friends of this beloved young man; 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 Lance 
Corporal Tony Leigh Hernandez.