MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 1st Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Lee (47th), Albritton, Browning, Burton, Butler, Carmichael, Chaney, Chassaniol, Clarke, Cuevas, Dearing, Doxey, Fillingane, Frazier, Gollott, Harden, Hewes, Horhn, Jackson (15th), Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), King, Kirby, Little, Mettetal, Moffatt, Pickering, Posey, Robertson, Simmons, Thames, Thomas, Tollison, White, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF UNITED STATES ARMY STAFF SERGEANT JERRY CLARK BURGE, JR., OF PICAYUNE, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN IRAQ ON APRIL 4, 2007, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, United States Army Staff Sergeant Jerry Clark Burge, Jr., 39 of Picayune, Mississippi, was killed in action, along with another soldier, when a roadside bomb detonated near their Humvee vehicle in Taji, Iraq, on April 4, 2007; and
WHEREAS, he was a Demolitions Expert and Engineer with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Burge joined the military in 1985 and began serving full-time active duty in 1995. He had spent eight of his 11 years overseas; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Burge had been injured earlier by an explosive while serving in Kosovo; and
WHEREAS, the father of three children, he was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he was killed. Fellow soldiers said, "Burge made sure his men were doing their duties to the best of their abilities for the good of all"; and
WHEREAS, his family was given five medals awarded to him posthumously at the military funeral held in Picayune, Mississippi, on Thursday, April 12, 2007, including a Bronze Star, a third Purple Heart, a third Army Commendation Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Medal and an Expeditionary Global War on Terrorism Medal; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Burge is the second soldier from Picayune (a town of about 10,800) to die in Iraq. They are among at least 53 soldiers and sailors with strong Mississippi ties who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, the men who served with him said Staff Sergeant Jerry Burge was a soldier like few others. He had served on dangerous missions long before the Iraq war began and knew what it took to protect his men from harm. He took the extra steps to make sure everyone in his command was on the mark all the time; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Burge 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 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 United States Army Staff Sergeant Jerry Clark Burge, Jr., of Picayune, Mississippi, who was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2007, 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 Burge and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.