79R5347 BJM-D

By:  King of Zavala                                               H.R. No. 541



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The family and friends of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal 
Rhonald Dain Rairdan of San Antonio suffered an immeasurable loss 
with the death of this valiant soldier on January 26, 2005, at the 
age of 20; and
	WHEREAS, A machine gunner, Dain Rairdan died in the crash of a 
Super Stallion transport helicopter near Ar Rutbah, Iraq; and
	WHEREAS, This brave young Texan was born on April 22, 1984, at 
Eglin Air Force Base in Florida into a family with a proud military 
tradition that goes back generations; reared in Medina County, he 
was a 2003 graduate of Medina Valley High School, where he was a 
member of the Junior ROTC Blackhawks Drill Team; following high 
school, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of joining the U.S. Marine 
Corps; 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 Rairdan 
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 Rhonald Dain Rairdan and extend deepest sympathy to 
the members of his family: to his parents, David and Kimberly Wilmot 
Rairdan; to his brother, William Kyle Rairdan; to his grandparents, 
William and Barbara Wilmot and Janice and Carl Zechner; 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 U.S. Marine 
Lance Corporal Rhonald Dain Rairdan.