MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2004 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Posey, White, Carmichael, Dawkins, Frazier, Gollott, Jackson (15th), Jackson (11th), King
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING JAMES MICHAEL HOLCOMBE UPON HIS SELECTION AS ONE OF ONLY 5 NATIONAL FINALISTS FOR RESERVE SAILOR OF THE YEAR 2004.
WHEREAS, James Michael Holcombe has been selected as Naval Reserve Center Meridian Sailor of the Year; and
WHEREAS, Hospital Corpsman First Class (Fleet Marine Force) James M. Holcombe, United States Naval Reserve, was also selected as Sailor of the Year for Readiness Command Southeast, which is composed of the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, he was one of only five national finalists for Reserve Sailor of the Year for 2004; and
WHEREAS, as leading Petty Officer of the 4th Force Service Support Group, Detachment Nine, he has been awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for meritorious service rendered from January 2003 through December 2003; and
WHEREAS, the Department of the Navy citation stated that Petty Officer Holcombe temporarily filled a gapped critical Inspector Instructor Corpsman billet at a Marine Corps Reserve artillery battery in Jackson, Mississippi, that he was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and that he was personally selected as a member of the first Kuwaiti Shock Trauma Platoon; and
WHEREAS, John G. Cotton, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy, Commander, Naval Reserve Force, further stated in the citation that by his noteworthy accomplishments, perseverance, and devotion to duty, Petty Officer First Class Holcombe reflected credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service; and
WHEREAS, born in Ellisville, Mississippi, to James T. Holcombe and Anna Jo Cranford Holcombe, James Michael Holcombe is a graduate of South Jones High School and Jones Jr. College, and was graduated in 1974 from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in History; and
WHEREAS, he also attended Mississippi State University, receiving the degree of Master of Public Policy and Administration in 1987; he also is a Certified Public Manager and a graduate of the South Central Public Health Leadership Institute at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Hospital Corpsman First Class Holcombe, in his civilian life, has been employed by the Mississippi State Department of Health since 1975, where he is currently the Director of the Bureau of Tuberculosis and Refugee Health; and
WHEREAS, he was a founding member and the first president of the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association; and
WHEREAS, he now resides in Raymond, Mississippi, with his wife, Margaret Faye Finnegan Holcombe, originally of Laurel, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, they have two children, a daughter, Casey Miranda Holcombe, who is a student at Hinds Community College, and a son, George Isaac Lowell Holcombe, who is a student at Raymond Elementary School; and
WHEREAS, his service to his country and the people of the State of Mississippi as a Field Medical Technician bring credit and honor to the State of Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, the Senate also wishes to recognize the sacrifice made by his wife, Faye, and their children, Casey and Isaac, when their husband and father was mobilized for active duty and stationed so far away under such dangerous circumstances:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend James Michael Holcombe upon his selection as one of five finalists for the 2004 National Reserve Sailor of the Year, and extend to him our congratulations and our thanks for his service to this state in both his civilian and military roles.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be presented to Hospital Corpsman First Class (Fleet Marine Force) Holcombe and furnished to the Capitol Press Corps.