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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt by |
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the family and friends of U.S. Army Specialist Keith Erin Grace Jr. |
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of Baytown, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 11, |
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2013, at the age of 26; and |
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WHEREAS, Assigned to the 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery |
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Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based |
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at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Specialist Grace lost his life near the |
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Pakistan border in southeast Afghanistan, in support of Operation |
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Enduring Freedom; and |
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WHEREAS, Keith Grace was born on February 18, 1987, in |
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Houston; he overcame a series of challenges in his early years, |
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surviving bone cancer and losing his adoptive mother by the age of |
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12; later in life, he was warmly welcomed into the family of Michael |
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and Mary Lou Davis; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Grace graduated from Robert E. Lee High School |
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in 2006, and in January 2012, he enlisted in the U.S. Army; as part |
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of his training, he completed a class in the Dari language and was |
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certified as a combat lifesaver; his commendations include the |
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National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service and Global War |
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on Terror Ribbons, and he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart |
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and the Bronze Star; and |
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WHEREAS, Admired for his optimism, fortitude, and good humor, |
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as well his bravery and dedication, Keith Grace upheld the highest |
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ideals of the U.S. armed forces, and his fellow citizens owe him a |
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lasting debt of gratitude; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Specialist Keith Erin |
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Grace Jr. and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
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family: to his parents, Mike and Mary Lou Davis; to his birth |
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parents, Cheryl Barnes and Keith Erin Grace Sr.; to his brothers, |
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Garland Davis, Allen Vasquez, Jeff Lee, James Leslie Hardy Jr., and |
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Cody Ray Barnes; to his sisters, Tara Krystal Grace, Stormy |
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Cheyenne Barnes, and Ashley Nichole Hardy; to his nephews, Dawson, |
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Chris, and Landon Brady; and to his other relatives and friends; |
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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 Keith Erin |
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Grace Jr. |
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Faircloth |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2462 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on May 21, 2015. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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