MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Burton, Blount, Browning, Butler, Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Davis, Dearing, Fillingane, Frazier, Hopson, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (15th), Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jones, King, Kirby, Lee (35th), McDaniel, Mettetal, Moffatt, Montgomery, Powell, Simmons, Stone, Ward, Watson, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF UNITED STATES ARMY SERGEANT MATTHEW LEE INGRAM OF NEWTON COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS LOST IN ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2009, AND EXPRESS THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, United States Army Sergeant Matthew Lee Ingram, age 25, a native of Newton County, Mississippi, died on Friday, August 21, 2009, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle and his unit came under fire from enemy forces; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Ingram was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Ingram was serving his second tour of duty and had been in Afghanistan since May. His first tour was in Iraq from August 2004 to July 2005; and
WHEREAS, Matthew joined the Army in the summer of 2003 and did basic training at Fort Benning. Ingram was assigned to South Korea, where he spent 10 months before his entire brigade was deployed to Iraq, where he spent a year. Stationed later in Colorado, he met his future wife, Holly, in Colorado Springs. They married in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Ingram was buried with full military honors. He received numerous awards for service to his country, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, two Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He earned the rank of Sergeant before returning for a second tour in Iraq. Matt was most proud of the Purple Heart he received for injuries suffered during his second tour of Iraq, which was his most prized possession; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Ingram leaves behind his wife, Holly, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; his mother, Patricia; his father, James; and an older brother, Jamie. Mrs. Ingram remembered her husband as a proud soldier and loving father to their 10-month-old daughter, Chloe. He admired his mother's fiancé, Harry Hastings, a retired Colonel in the Army Medical Service Corps. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Sergeant Ingram attended Newton County High School and played wide receiver on the school's football team; and
WHEREAS, since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan, at least 70 soldiers or sailors with Mississippi ties have died in action; and
WHEREAS, Matt Ingram was a loving father, husband and son 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 child, wife or parent, a fallen soldier means a father, husband or 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 Sergeant Matthew Lee Ingram of Newton County, Mississippi, who was lost in action in Afghanistan on Friday, August 21, 2009, 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 Ingram and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.