|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, The family and friends of U.S. Army Captain Blake |
|
Harrison Russell of Fort Worth suffered an immeasurable loss with |
|
the death of this valiant soldier in Iraq on July 22, 2006, at the |
|
age of 35; and |
|
WHEREAS, Assigned to the army's 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry |
|
Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air |
|
Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Captain Russell was killed |
|
during combat operations in Baghdad while serving his second tour |
|
of duty in Iraq; and |
|
WHEREAS, Born September 7, 1970, in East Point, Georgia, |
|
Blake Russell graduated in 1988 from Boswell High School in Fort |
|
Worth, where he was a quarterback on the football team and a |
|
shortstop on the baseball team; he served in the U.S. Navy before |
|
attending Texas A&M University and earning a bachelor's degree in |
|
marketing in 1998; and |
|
WHEREAS, Following graduation, Captain Russell enlisted in |
|
the army and went on to serve as a general's aide; deployed to Iraq |
|
for the first time in 2003, he served as a field artillery officer |
|
in Al Anbar Province, and on his return two years later, as chief of |
|
an instruction team that lived and worked with Iraqi army troops; he |
|
was recognized for his courageous service with the Bronze Star and |
|
the Purple Heart; and |
|
WHEREAS, Captain Russell was beloved by all who knew him for |
|
his charm, wit, and chivalry; rarely seen without a smile, he |
|
enjoyed five years of marriage to his wife, Bellinda, and he took |
|
great pride in their children, Dylan and Haley; and |
|
WHEREAS, Through his unwavering dedication to duty and honor, |
|
Blake Russell embodied the highest ideals of the United States |
|
armed forces; although his death has left a void in the lives of |
|
those who loved him, memories of his compassion, heroism, and |
|
fortitude will forever be treasured; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of U.S. Army Captain |
|
Blake Harrison Russell and extend sincere sympathy to the members |
|
of his family: to his wife, Bellinda Stine Russell; to his children, |
|
Dylan and Haley Russell; to his mother, Janice Perkins; to his |
|
father, Ron Russell, and his wife, Donna; to his sisters, Rhona |
|
Jesperson and her husband, Bob, and Deidra Earle and her husband, |
|
Andrew; to his grandmother, Mrs. L. C. Harrison; to his |
|
mother-in-law, Helga Stine, and her husband, Paul Lager; to his |
|
brother-in-law, Robb Stine, and his wife, Shannon; and to his other |
|
relatives and many 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 Captain |
|
Blake Harrison Russell. |