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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Lance Corporal Justin Rokohl of Orange Grove has |
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rendered valiant service in Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the |
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United States Marine Corps; and |
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WHEREAS, A 2005 graduate of Orange Grove High School, |
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Corporal Rokohl followed a long-standing family tradition when he |
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joined the armed forces; trained as a machine gunner, he served in |
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Iraq in 2007 and has most recently been deployed to Afghanistan as a |
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member of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Company G, |
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Weapons Platoon; and |
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WHEREAS, Corporal Rokohl sustained serious injuries on the |
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morning of June 19, 2008, when the Humvee in which he was riding was |
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struck by an IED; blown out of the vehicle, he was pulled to safety |
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by fellow marines, and since then he has undergone multiple |
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surgeries, both in Germany and the United States; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout his ordeal, Corporal Rokohl's |
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indomitable spirit has continued to shine through; renowned among |
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his family and friends for his love of life, this courageous Texan |
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is tackling his recovery with the same no-holds-barred |
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determination that he has brought to all his endeavors; and |
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WHEREAS, Corporal Rokohl and his family are integral members |
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of the Orange Grove community and the Cross Trails Cowboy Church, |
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and their neighbors and fellow congregants have been staunchly |
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supportive of their hometown hero; one measure of the esteem in |
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which Corporal Rokohl is held was evident in the overwhelming |
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response to a blood drive that was organized in his honor; people |
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came from as far away as Alice and Corpus Christi, and a second |
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blood center bus had to be called in to accommodate all those |
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wishing to donate; and |
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WHEREAS, The grit and tenacity that Justin Rokohl brings to |
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his work as a marine are the same qualities that led him to be named |
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an all-district defensive end on his high school football team; |
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endowed with natural athletic ability, he also ran track, and he is |
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currently intent on honing his roping skills; and |
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WHEREAS, Corporal Rokohl's devotion to service has kindled an |
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interest in a law enforcement career, following his return to |
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civilian life; he has expressed a desire to join the border patrol |
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and ultimately to serve as sheriff of Jim Wells County; and |
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WHEREAS, On July 3, 2008, President George W. Bush personally |
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presented a Purple Heart medal and citation to Corporal Rokohl at |
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the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; and |
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WHEREAS, In the face of great hardship and danger, Corporal |
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Rokohl has embodied the highest ideals of the United States Marine |
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Corps, and he has earned the lasting respect and gratitude of all |
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Americans; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Marine Lance Corporal Justin Rokohl for |
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his steadfast service to this country and extend to him sincere best |
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wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Corporal Rokohl as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |