House Resolution 89

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING THE "100 RAVENO BOYS" AND DESIGNATING JUNE 6-7, 2024, AS "ETERNAL HEROES' MEMORIAL DAYS" IN MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, on the nights of June 5-6, 1944, more than 6,500 elite paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division, the first of the first, spearheaded the American airborne assault on the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France, with the critical missions of securing four causeways leading inland from the beach codenamed "Utah" and neutralizing enemy resistance in advance of the amphibious landings at dawn on D-Day morning by 4th Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, a great many of the paratroopers were mis-dropped from their designated drop zones, and before dawn, a small group led by Major John P. Stopka, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, attacked and captured a strategically sited and important German garrison headquarters and strongpoint at Marmion Farm, on the outskirts of Ravenoville village in Normandy, France; and

WHEREAS, Major Stopka took the decision to hold the farm until relief arrived from Utah Beach, thereby denying enemy movement against the northern shoulder of the 101st assault area and the critical exits; and

WHEREAS, throughout D-Day, other mis-dropped paratroopers from mixed elements of the 101st, even some from the 82nd Airborne, arrived at the farm thereby strengthening the American defense against "...repeated enemy counter-attacks..." the paratroopers held firm until relieved on the early morning of June 7, 1944, by lead elements of 4th Infantry Division; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, David A. Ashe, a native of Belfast, Ireland, retired to Ravenoville, in Normandy, France, a village of about 260 residents, which was strategically located between the seaborne landing area of Utah Beach and the drop zones for the 101st Airborne Division, and was amongst the first liberated towns on D-Day; and

WHEREAS, because of the tiny community's significant D-Day history and the absence of any memorial to its liberators, Mr. Ashe resolved to build the Eternal Heroes' Memorial on June 6, 2012, in honor and remembrance of those, known as the "100 Raveno Boys", whose heroic stand made a significant contribution to the success of the amphibious landings on Utah Beach, and ultimately, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on D-Day; and

WHEREAS, afterwards, Mr. Ashe embarked on a 15-month quest to identify the paratroopers who saw combat at Ravenoville, or on the nearby Marmion Farm in June 1944, and this entailed tracking down survivors from both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and their families and descendants, and among their number was a gallant son of Mississippi, Walter S. Gordon, Jr., of Hinds County, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, since 2012, each June, Mr. Ashe hosts a Ceremony of Remembrance, which to date has welcomed over 40 D-Day/World War II veterans, families of other soldiers either killed during World War II or who survived and have since passed, active duty United States and German troops, and other distinguished guests such as Susan E. Eisenhower, granddaughter of then President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and

WHEREAS, many paid the ultimate price to pay in World War II in order to protect the American way of life, and the "100 Raveno Boys", especially Walter S. Gordon, Jr., of Hinds County, Mississippi, certainly distinguished themselves as fearless heroes, as their unflinching courage, unparalleled bravery and gallant sacrifice reflects lasting honor, as they nobly put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms of all Americans during World War II:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend the "100 Raveno Boys", and Walter S. Gordon, Jr., of Hinds County, Mississippi, for their heroic service during World War II, and designate June 6-7, 2024 as "Eternal Heroes' Memorial Days" in Mississippi in memoriam of the "100 Raveno Boys".

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Eternal Heroes' Memorial, the family of Walter S. Gordon, Jr., and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.