H.R. No. 724


R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, San Antonio native Ray Rangel, a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant and firefighter, died in the line of duty on February 13, 2005, on a rescue mission in Iraq, and he leaves behind a loving family and many friends; and WHEREAS, A 1994 graduate of South San Antonio High School, the 29-year-old airman was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base near Abilene and was deployed to Iraq with the 7th Civil Engineering Squadron; he died while attempting to save the lives of several of his fellow servicemen; and WHEREAS, Sergeant Rangel enlisted in the air force shortly after his high school graduation; he and Selena, his wife of 10 years, were blessed with three sons and a daughter; an avid football fan, he played defensive back for the South San Antonio High School Bobcats and coached his eldest son's youth football team in Abilene, where he and his wife had purchased a home; and WHEREAS, Words cannot lessen the grief felt by the family and friends of this heroic Texan, but those who knew and loved him may take comfort in the knowledge that he died bravely and was proud to be serving his nation; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Staff Sergeant Ray Rangel and extend deepest sympathy to his family: to his wife, Selena Rangel; to his children, Justin, Jacob, Gabriel, and Lilliana Rangel; to his parents, Federico and Cynthia Rangel; to his sisters, Rebecca Lugo, Melissa Esquivel, and Priscilla Rangel; to his grandparents, Eduarda and Jose Carreon; and to the many other relatives and friends of this courageous American; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Ray Rangel. Menendez Leibowitz 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. 724 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on March 31, 2005. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House