MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2005 3rd Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Robertson, Moffatt, Lee (47th), Browning, Butler, Carmichael, Clarke, Davis, Dearing, Flowers, Frazier, Harvey, Hewes, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (15th), Jackson (11th), King, Kirby, Lee (35th), Little, Mettetal, Pickering, Posey, Ross, Thames, Thomas, White, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF SPECIALIST TERRANCE D. LEE, SR., OF MOSS POINT, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS A COMBAT CASUALTY IN IRAQ ON SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2005, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, Specialist Terrance D. Lee, Sr., 25, of Moss Point, Mississippi, was one of two Mississippi soldiers killed on Saturday, June 11, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle near Owesat Village outside of Amiriyah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq; and
WHEREAS, carried by a military honor guard he came home to his community and family, and was buried Friday, June 24, 2005, at Machphelah Cemetery, Moss Point, Mississippi, with full military honors; and
WHEREAS, Specialist Lee served with the Mississippi National Guard's 155 Brigade Combat Team, assigned to Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion in Lucedale, Mississippi. Lee deployed to Iraq January 14 with the brigade. Lee, a National Guard supply specialist, was a 1999 graduate of Moss Point High and joined the Guard in 2002. Lee's wife, Stephanie, is expecting their third child in September. The couple met at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, where they were employed. Stephanie Lee said the last time she saw her husband was the day he left Mississippi for Iraq; and
WHEREAS, the 155th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as "Dixie Thunder," includes 3,500 soldiers from Mississippi and others from Vermont and Arkansas. The 155th, which is attached to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, operates in the Karbala, Najaf and Babil provinces of Iraq. The soldiers trained at Camp Shelby before being deployed to Iraq in January 2004. The deaths of these two brave guardsman brings the total in the 155th Brigade to at least 12 in 2005. Since military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq began, 35 people with Mississippi ties have died. The Mississippi National Guard has sustained the fourth highest number of casualties of any state; and
WHEREAS, Specialist Terrance Lee's young sons got a solemn reminder that Father's Day will never again be the same. A Father's Day card that Terrance, Jr., 5, and Ra'Mone, 3, mailed to the Mississippi Army National Guard soldier before his death was returned from Iraq on Friday, June 17; and
WHEREAS, during his funeral, Specialist Lee was awarded the Bronze Star, given for meritorious service, the Mississippi Medal of Valor, and the Purple Heart, given for wounds received in hostile action, posthumously by Major General Harold Cross, Adjutant General of Mississippi. Specialist Lee's duty performance and selfless service were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Multi-National Corps Iraq and the United States Army. He gave the ultimate sacrifice; and
WHEREAS, his family received an outpouring of grief and support from across the state, demonstrating the community's acknowledgment of the sacrifice made by the Mississippi National Guard; and
WHEREAS, Terrance Lee is survived by his loving wife, Stephanie Carter Lee of Lucedale, Mississippi; two sons, Terrance, Jr., 5, and Ra'Mone, 3, of Moss Point Mississippi; an unborn daughter, Marchelle Elyse Lee; a step-daughter, Kamri Carter of Lucedale; mother, Dinah Lee of Moss Point; father, Dedric Lee of Gautier; one brother, LaDarrius Lee of Moss Point; one sister, Demetrice (Christopher) Jones of Pascagoula; devoted and dedicated paternal grandparents who raised him since he was six months old, Robert and Aniece Lee of Moss Point; maternal grandparents, Abraham and Leona Triplett of Moss Point; two aunts, Carola Triplett and Omeco Triplett of Moss Point; three uncles, Ryan (Kimberly) Triplett, Anthony (Shannon) Triplett of Moss Point and Douglas (Cynthia) Lee of Ocean Springs; a nephew, Christopher Jones of Pascagoula; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Stanley and Frances Sargent of Lucedale; one brother-in-law, Tregnal (Claudette) Thomas of Moss Point; special friends and cousins, Elmore Wonsley, Sean Coleman, Jerone Rowe, Chris Walker, Tremayne Colvin; and a host of many other family and friends; 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 Specialist Terrance D. Lee, Sr., of Moss Point, Mississippi, who was killed in action in Iraq on Saturday, June 11, 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 Specialist Lee and be made available to members of the Capitol Press Corps.