H.R. No. 522R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, The family and friends of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Wesley Joel Canning suffered an immeasurable loss with the death of this valiant soldier on November 10, 2004, at the age of 21; and WHEREAS, Assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Lance Corporal Canning died in the Al Anbar province of Iraq during the drive on Fallujah and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart; and WHEREAS, Fulfilling a lifelong dream of serving his country, this outstanding young man joined the U.S. Marines following his 2002 graduation from Friendswood High School and was first deployed to Iraq during the initial invasion; at the time of his death he was serving his second tour of duty; 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 husband, son, and brother is a sobering reminder of the cost of war; Lance Corporal Canning embodied the highest ideals of the U.S. armed forces, and those who knew and loved him 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 U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Wesley Joel Canning and extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Chayla; to his parents, Joe and JoEllen Canning; to his brother, Russell; to his sisters, Anna, Liz, and Amanda; to his other family members, including Mark and Corina Foster, Russell and Martha Sanders, Jerry and Mary Sanders, Jeff and Tracy Canning, Kim and Jimmy Canning, Johnny and Gwen Canning, and Mike and Cathy Kramer; and to his other relatives and 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 U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Wesley Joel Canning. Taylor Craddick Geren Menendez Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso Anderson Goolsby Morrison Bailey Griggs Mowery Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat Berman Guillen Nixon Blake Haggerty Noriega Bohac Hamilton Oliveira Bonnen Hamric Olivo Branch Hardcastle Orr Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton Burnam Hegar Pena Callegari Herrero Phillips Campbell Hilderbran Pickett Casteel Hill Pitts Castro Hochberg Puente Chavez Hodge Quintanilla Chisum Homer Raymond Coleman Hope Reyna Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter Corte Hughes Rodriguez Crabb Hunter Rose Crownover Hupp Seaman Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis Denny Keel Solomons Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus Dukes King of Parker Swinford Dunnam King of Zavala Talton Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor Edwards Krusee Thompson Eiland Kuempel Truitt Eissler Laney Turner Elkins Laubenberg Uresti Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale Farabee Luna Veasey Farrar Madden Villarreal Flores Martinez Vo Flynn Martinez Fischer West Frost McCall Wong Gallego McClendon Woolley Gattis McReynolds Zedler ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 522 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on March 23, 2005. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House