| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt at |
|
|
the loss of U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Jeremy D. Smith of Arlington, |
|
|
who died in Afghanistan on April 6, 2011, at the age of 26; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, |
|
|
4th Marine Division, Staff Sergeant Smith was killed while bravely |
|
|
serving his country in Helmand Province; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born on March 9, 1985, to Jerry and Sandra Smith, |
|
|
Jeremy Smith grew up in Arlington, where he was a member of the |
|
|
football team at Martin High School; after graduating in 2003, he |
|
|
joined the Marine Corps, later extending his enlistment to complete |
|
|
his third tour of duty in Iraq; his plans for the future included |
|
|
training fellow Marines as a member of the Texas Marine Reserves; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Smith was recognized for his skill |
|
|
and dedication to duty, earning two Navy Achievement Medals, the |
|
|
Purple Heart, and the Combat Action Ribbon; in all of his endeavors, |
|
|
he was blessed with the support of his wife, Rachel, whom he married |
|
|
on May 2, 2009, at a ceremony held at the home of his mother; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Our state and nation are fortunate to have men and |
|
|
women whose loyalty inspires them to serve our country, yet the |
|
|
tragic death of this brave man is a sobering reminder of the cost of |
|
|
war; Staff Sergeant Jeremy Smith 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 82nd Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of U.S. Marine Staff |
|
|
Sergeant Jeremy D. Smith and extend deepest sympathy to the members |
|
|
of his family: to his wife, Rachel Whipp Smith; to his mother, |
|
|
Sandra Smith; to his father, Jerry Smith; to his sister, Shayda |
|
|
Heath, and her husband, Nathan; to his brother, Tyler Smith; to his |
|
|
niece, Lilly; to his nephew, Greyson; to his grandmothers, |
|
|
Elizabeth Smith and Vereana Allen; 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 U.S. Marine |
|
|
Staff Sergeant Jeremy D. Smith. |