House Concurrent Resolution 20

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE HEROISM OF SERGEANT TREY TRONEY AND THE REMARKABLE BENEVOLENCE THAT HE SHOWED TO MR. JEFF UDGER.

WHEREAS, Sergeant Trey Troney, a resident of Raleigh, Mississippi, embodies all of the characteristics of a true hero - intrepidity, valor, prowess, gallantry, bravery, courage and fearlessness - and on December 22, 2018, his heroism, patience and military training helped him save another man's life; and

WHEREAS, as a field artillery cannon crewmember assigned to Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Sergeant Troney has faced dangerous, deadly situations that demanded he put his life on the line throughout his three years in the United States Army, and on that fateful day in December, he was the perfect person to assist Jeff Udger of Longview, Texas; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Troney was on his way home to Raleigh from his station in Fort Bliss, Texas, when he saw an accident on Interstate 20 near Sweetwater, Texas, and pulled over, and upon approaching Mr. Udger's vehicle, Sergeant Troney noticed that he was slumped over the steering wheel of his truck; and

WHEREAS, after two other men helped him pry open the door, Sergeant Troney used his brand new "Salute to Service" New Orleans Saints hoodie to stop the bleeding on Mr. Udger's head, and soon after, his eagle eye and medic training alerted him to the fact that the left side of Mr. Udger's chest was not moving, which meant his lung had collapsed; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Troney had to jump into action, as only minutes stood between life and death for Mr. Udger, so he ran to his Jeep and miraculously found some first aid supplies from his brigade's recent rotation at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Troney, who was equipped with a needle chest decompression (NCD), a first aid kit and nerves of steel, raced back to Mr. Udger's side, who had lost consciousness due to blood loss, but Sergeant Troney knew just what to do, unfortunately, the NCD was too short to reach Mr. Udger's collapsed lung and relieve pressure; and

WHEREAS, quickly moving on to plan B, Sergeant Troney channeled his inner MacGyver and tore off the ends of a ballpoint pen, removed the ink, and put the NCD in the hole, then wiggled the pen with his hand in between the ribs and watched as the bubbles began to emerge from the tip and life was restored to Mr. Udger; and

WHEREAS, when state troopers and paramedics arrived to the wreck, they were shocked and confused, but the paramedics credited Sergeant Troney with saving Mr. Udger's life, and the state trooper even bought him a meal up the road; and

WHEREAS, once Mr. Udger was well enough to respond to what had happened to him, he praised Sergeant Troney's response as heroic, contacting everyone he could to tell them how thankful he was that Sergeant Troney had been passing by that day; and

WHEREAS, Captain Angel Alegre, the battery commander of Sergeant Troney's unit, was not surprised at all by his actions, describing him as a man of action who excels in times of adversity, and Sergeant Troney gives credit to the 100 degree heat in El Paso for his knowledge, as the soldiers would trade coveted DripDrop hydration packs during training for demonstrated knowledge of combat medicine; and

WHEREAS, one of the best and brightest of his battery, Sergeant Troney walked away from the experience with a better understanding of how his training can help people outside of the army, and thanks to Sergeant Troney, Mr. Udger was able to walk away from the experience with his life and a full recovery on his horizon; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to pay tribute to fine, heroic Mississippians such as Sergeant Trey Troney, whose dauntless fortitude and unwavering courage remained steadfast despite the absence of his army fatigues, motivating and inspiring the Raleigh community and the people of the great State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and commend the heroism of Sergeant Trey Troney and the remarkable benevolence that he showed to Mr. Jeff Udger, and extend sincere wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Sergeant Trey Troney and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.