MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Carmichael, Burton, Jackson (32nd), Albritton, Browning, Butler, Chaney, Clarke, Davis, Dawkins, Dearing, Fillingane, Frazier, Gordon, Hewes, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (11th), King, Kirby, Lee (35th), Little, Mettetal, Michel, Morgan, Pickering, Posey, Ross, Thames, Thomas, Tollison, White, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF UNITED STATES ARMY STAFF SERGEANT ROBERT L. LOVE, JR., OF LIVINGSTON, ALABAMA, WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN IRAQ ON DECEMBER 1, 2006, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert L. Love, Jr., 28, of Livingston, Alabama, with strong family ties in Meridian, Mississippi, was killed in action on Friday, December 1, 2006, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations in Ar Ramadi in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Love was assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, out of Giessen, Germany; and
WHEREAS, carried by an Army Honor Guard, he returned to his home and to his wife and daughters and to his community. He was buried on Wednesday, December 20, 2006, in the tiny east Mississippi Town of Russell, Mississippi, with full military honors; a memorial service for Sergeant Love was held in Meridian, Mississippi earlier on the same day. During the funeral he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and other appropriate medals and Brigadier General Robert Crear (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) presented the flag to his widow, Brianna Love, that draped her husband's casket; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Love was a 1996 graduate of Livingston High School, where he played in the band. He immediately enlisted in the Army after graduation and had served eight years. He was a very quiet, serious person who loved his family; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Love is the 47th soldier or sailor with Mississippi ties to die in action since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, he is survived by his wife, Staff Sergeant Brianna Love of Germany, who met her husband when they both were transferred to Germany; daughters, Brianna Love of Birmingham, Alabama, and Tanessa Love of Germany; parents, Robert and Mary Love of Livingston, Alabama; siblings, Rickitta Thomas and her husband, Mardornnie, of Gainesville, Alabama, Evelyn Ford and her husband, Robert, of Birmingham, and Reginald and Jeremy Love, both of Livingston; grandmother, Annie Williams of Meridian; and aunt, Bobbie Moore of Meridian; and
WHEREAS, Robert Love was a loving father who is counted among America's heroes, 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. Mississippians understand the costs of conflict, because we have paid them in the past, and it is with great pride 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 United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert L. Love, Jr., of Livingston, Alabama, who was killed in action in Iraq on Friday, December 1, 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 Love and be made available to members of the Capitol Press Corps.