MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2005 3rd Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Albritton, Lee (47th), Browning, Butler, Carmichael, Clarke, Davis, Dearing, Flowers, Frazier, Harvey, Hewes, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (15th), Kirby, Lee (35th), Little, Mettetal, Nunnelee, Posey, Thames, Thomas, Walls, White, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF SERGEANT LARRY RICHARD ARNOLD, SR., OF CARRIERE, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS A COMBAT CASUALTY IN IRAQ ON SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2005, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, Sergeant Larry Richard Arnold, Sr., 46, of Carriere, 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 Wednesday, June 22, 2005, at Mill Creek Cemetery, Carriere, Mississippi, with full military honors; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Arnold served with the Mississippi National Guard's 155 Brigade Combat Team, assigned to Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion in Lucedale, Mississippi. His son, Robert, 21, served alongside his father in the same company, and was home on leave when the family received the news of his death. Sergeant Arnold had served 8-1/2 years in the United States Army and joined the Mississippi National Guard in 1991 serving 14 years. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and resided in Carriere with his wife of 28 years. An electrician by trade, Larry Arnold made the National Guard his full-time job in 2002; 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, Melinda Arnold remembers her husband as "a caring and dedicated soldier." The couple met on a blind date in March 1977, and were married in August of that year; and
WHEREAS, during his funeral, Sergeant Arnold was awarded the Bronze Star, the Mississippi Medal of Valor and the Purple Heart posthumously by Brigadier General Ben Gaston, Mississippi National Guard; 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, Larry Arnold is survived by his wife of 28 years, Melinda Arnold of Carriere; three sons, Larry Arnold, Jr., Robert Arnold and Howard James Arnold, all of Carriere; his mother, Betty Mackey of Columbia, Missouri; one brother, Garry Arnold of Columbia, Missouri; five sisters, Peggy Alford of Norwood, Ohio, Beverly Hicks of Harrisonville, Missouri, Janet Brandes of Simi Valley, California, Joann Arnold of Manilla, Arkansas, and Debbie Arnold of Bentonville, Arkansas; one grandson, Anthony Arnold of Carriere; one granddaughter, Heather Arnold of Carriere; 12 nieces and 14 nephews; 10 great-nieces and 11 great-nephews; 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 Sergeant Larry Richard Arnold, Sr., of Carriere, 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 Sergeant Arnold and be made available to members of the Capitol Press Corps.