MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2020 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Jackson (11th), Blackwell, DeBar, Jackson (32nd), Jordan, Simmons (13th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING MILITARY CAREER OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDWIN DEXTER "DEX" MCCAIN OF BATESVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER 26 YEARS OF SERVICE.
WHEREAS, Batesville, Mississippi, native Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Dexter McCain, after serving on active duty for 26 years with the United States Air Force, retired on November 8, 2019; and
WHEREAS, with family, friends and longtime colleagues in attendance, Lieutenant Colonel McCain enjoyed a retirement ceremony held in the Hoover Auditorium at Maxwell Air Force Base Officer Training School in Montgomery, Alabama, where his first Change of Command Ceremony was held in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel "Dex" McCain's military service spans 30 years, as he also served in the United States Army Reserve from 1987 to 1990. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (with five Oak Leaf Clusters), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; and
WHEREAS, his service also includes a one-year deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, in 2012, supporting the Office of Security Cooperation in their security assistance mission, which was intent on maintaining progress and rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force; and
WHEREAS, another highlight of his achievements include the completion of a stateside deployment at United States Central Command, which is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. There, Lieutenant Colonel McCain was the Afghanistan Desk Officer for the United States Central Command Security Cooperation Branch; and
WHEREAS, a 1987 South Panola High School graduate, McCain credits the support and positivity he gathered in those formative years as a student to his success. "The encouragement I got from my teachers at South Panola during that period challenged us to go and do some great things in the community and in the world"; and
WHEREAS, during his time at South Panola, the community helped support the band's trip to the Cotton Bowl and to the Presidential Classroom, a high school program that allows students to spend a week in Washington, D.C., McCain remembers. Following graduation from South Panola High School, McCain earned a degree at Ole Miss. "I always remember that it was a great community that really did an effort in trying to support students and expose them to different aspects of life," McCain said; and
WHEREAS, Colonel McCain lives near Montgomery, Alabama, with his wife, Yolanda and their twin daughters, Hannah and Hope; and
WHEREAS, Colonel McCain's legacy is a strong and free America, and for this and for a career of selfless service, a grateful state thanks him:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the outstanding military career of United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Dexter "Dex" McCain of Batesville, Mississippi, on the occasion of his retirement after 26 years of service, and extend our best wishes to Colonel McCain and his family on this auspicious occasion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Dex McCain, forwarded to the Principal of South Panola High School and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.