MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2005 2nd Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Brown, Hyde-Smith, Browning, Carmichael, Albritton, Bryan, Butler, Chaney, Clarke, Davis, Dearing, Flowers, Frazier, Gollott, Gordon, Harvey, Hewes, Horhn, King, Kirby, Lee (35th), Little, Mettetal, Pickering, Posey, Thames, White
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF MISSISSIPPI ARMY NATIONAL GUARD STAFF SERGEANT TOMMY S. LITTLE OF ALICEVILLE, ALABAMA, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, Mississippi National Guardsman Staff Sergeant Tommy S. Little, 45, of Aliceville, Alabama, died on Monday, April 29, 2005, from injuries he suffered in an April 19 attack during a roadside bombing that wounded four others; and
WHEREAS, an improvised explosive device fatally wounded Sergeant Little while he was on patrol about 20 miles south of Baghdad, and he later died at a Texas military hospital; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Little was a member of the Mississippi National Guard 155th Armored Brigade based in Columbus, Mississippi, which was activated in August 2004; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Little's funeral on Friday, May 6, 2005, in which he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Mississippi Medal of Valor by Mississippi National Guard Adjutant Major General Harold Cross, was attended by more than 400 mourners in his West Alabama community of 2,500; and
WHEREAS, Major General Cross, who came to know Sergeant Little as they trained before going to Iraq, said at his funeral that it was one year ago this week that his unit was alerted it was being called up, an order he sent to his guard members on the Saturday before Mother's Day; and
WHEREAS, Cross said Little was "a rare breed of man" who went to Iraq to "defend our country and to defend our freedoms and above all to defend those of us in this room so that we can continue to enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today"; and
WHEREAS, after services at the Aliceville National Guard Armory, Little was buried at Cedar Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in the Old Memphis community near the Mississippi line; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Little also worked at the Aliceville Cotton Mill for 20 years before it closed. A veteran of Desert Storm assignments in Kuwait and Iraq in 1991, he was a member of the second battalion of the 114th Field Artillery that is based in Columbus, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, since military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq began, 27 soldiers with ties to Mississippi have died. At least 27 military personnel who were raised or based in Alabama have died while serving in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, to a country, a fallen soldier means a national loss; to a community, a fallen soldier means a true hero; to a parent, a fallen soldier means a son who won't be coming home. Mississippians understand the costs of conflict because we have paid them in the past, and it is with great pride and humility that we recognize the heroic action of this great American and Mississippian, who was the guardian of civilization as we know it today:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby remember the gallant service and commend the life of Mississippi Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Tommy S. Little of Aliceville, Alabama, who died on Monday, April 29, 2005, from injuries he suffered in combat in Iraq on April 19, 2005, and extend the thoughts and prayers of the Legislature to his family and our sorrow on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Sergeant Little and be made available to members of the Capitol Press Corps.