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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The family and friends of U.S. Army Sergeant Bacilio |
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E. Cuellar of Odessa suffered a great loss with his untimely passing |
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on May 30, 2007, at the age of 24, while on duty in Iraq; and |
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WHEREAS, When "Bozzy" Cuellar was born on June 23, 1982, in |
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Odessa, he weighed 10 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 23 inches in |
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length; the first thing his dad asked the doctor was, "Is he going |
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to walk out of here with me?"; the strapping young fellow was named |
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after his paternal great-grandfathers; and |
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WHEREAS, It was apparent to his family very early on that this |
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was an unusually intelligent child; at the age of four years old, he |
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surprised many people by carrying on normal conversations with |
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adults; and |
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WHEREAS, Soft-spoken yet outgoing, Bozzy Cuellar never met a |
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stranger, and everyone in school knew him; he was a cooperative team |
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player and a respectful and considerate young man by nature who |
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always thought about the needs and comfort of others; he was also a |
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very loving person, one who was always there for family and friends; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The teen was tough, however, when he needed to be; he |
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was not afraid to stand up to bullies and would bravely defend |
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others, a trait his future fellow soldiers would quickly discover; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Friends and teachers from high school, though, |
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remember him especially as a talented musician; he loved to play the |
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drums and delighted listeners with his proficiency as a member of |
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the Permian High School drum line and in the years that followed; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Bozzy Cuellar joined the army in July 2001 and |
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attended boot camp in Georgia; while there, he was able to lose more |
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than 50 pounds in just three short months; as with all young |
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soldiers, he had a love/hate relationship with basic training; and |
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WHEREAS, It was not long after completing boot camp that |
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Bozzy Cuellar met the love of his life, Nicki; the moment they met |
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on New Year's Eve 2002, it was love at first sight; and |
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WHEREAS, This courageous young Texan deployed several times |
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in service to his country; his first tours of duty abroad took him |
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to Kosovo, where he was stationed from May 2002 to November 2002, |
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and Bosnia, where he arrived in October 2003; in February 2004, he |
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deployed with his unit, the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, |
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in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he served in Tikrit, |
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Iraq, until February 2005; and |
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WHEREAS, Sergeant Cuellar left for his fourth and final tour |
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on September 1, 2006, when he and the 1-18 Infantry shipped out |
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again, this time to fight in Baghdad; during that tour he enjoyed a |
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short period of leave with his family, and then he returned to Iraq |
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on April 2, 2007; Bozzy Cuellar died on May 30, 2007, in Baghdad, |
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and he was buried with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston |
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National Cemetery, in San Antonio, on June 15, 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, Bozzy and Nicki Cuellar were happy together until |
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his very last day; he was a wonderful husband and a devoted father |
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who had boundless love for his three sons; his wife has always said |
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that she could not have asked for a better husband and father for |
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their children; and |
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WHEREAS, The day that Bozzy Cuellar joined the army was a |
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proud moment for his family; he loved his job and performed his |
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difficult missions with exemplary dedication and professionalism; |
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between enlisting in the army, meeting Nicki, and receiving his |
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family's constant encouragement, Bozzy Cuellar accomplished a |
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180-degree turn from an earlier period in his life when he sought |
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direction; by the time of his passing, he had grown to be a man who |
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continually worked to better himself and who inspired those around |
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him to do the same; Sergeant Cuellar was indeed an individual who |
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marched to the beat of his own drum; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of U.S. Army Sergeant |
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Bacilio E. "Bozzy" Cuellar and extend sincere condolences to the |
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members of his family: to his wife, Nicole Cuellar; to his sons, |
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Sebastian Cole Cuellar, Jeremy Shane Cuellar, and Cayden Xavion |
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Cuellar; to his mother, Lori Ann Cuellar; to his father, Rafael |
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Cuellar, Jr.; to his sister, Shauna Denee' Cuellar; and to his other |
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relatives and many friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of U.S. Army |
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Sergeant Bacilio E. Cuellar. |