MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2006 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Kirby, Ross, Lee (35th), Albritton, Browning, Burton, Butler, Carmichael, Chaney, Clarke, Flowers, Frazier, Gordon, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (15th), Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, King, Little, Mettetal, Michel, Moffatt, Morgan, Pickering, Posey, Robertson, Thames, Thomas, Walls, White, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL GUARD STAFF SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER L. ROBINSON OF BRANDON, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN ON SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2006, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, Mississippi National Guard Staff Sergeant Christopher L. Robinson, 36, of Brandon, Mississippi, was killed by small arms fire in action on Saturday, March 25, 2006, while conducting combat patrol near the Sangain District in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Robinson was assigned to the Headquarters Detachment, Second Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group in Jackson; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Robinson was the first Mississippi National Guard soldier to die in Afghanistan since the invasion began in 2001; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Robinson was on his second deployment to Afghanistan, where he trained Afghan special forces. He was one of about 190 soldiers deployed in 2003. He came back in 2004, and then volunteered for redeployment for the September 2005 mission; and
WHEREAS, flags flew at half-staff in his adopted home of Brandon, Mississippi, during the week prior to April 1, 2006, when he was buried with full military honors and was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Medal for Valor, Meritorious Service Medal, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman Badge; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Robinson was a true patriot from a military family and his family was the most important thing in his life. He stated to his father, "Don't cry for me if I get killed where I'm going. It would be the most honorable thing I could ever do - to die for my country"; and
WHEREAS, at least 41 soldiers with Mississippi ties have died since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Robinson is survived by his wife, Tamara; daughter, Savannah; son, Patrick of Brandon; parents, George and Mary, of Madison; sister and brother-in-law, Denise and Jay Schimmel of Jackson; mother-in-law, Doris McNair, and Bobby Maddox of Raleigh; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Jimmie and Shara McNair of Jackson; grandparents, Ed Prince of Pensacola, Florida, Ola Buntin of Madison, Hazel Jones of Magee, Edna Hollingsworth of Madison, and Thurman and Geneva Parish of West Point; and many close friends; and
WHEREAS, Christopher Robinson was a loving father in the springtime of his life, who is counted among America's heroes and was committed to our nation's safety and security. 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; and to a wife and child, a fallen soldier means a husband and father 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 National Guard Staff Sergeant Christopher L. Robinson of Brandon, Mississippi, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on Saturday, March 25, 2006, 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 Robinson and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.