MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Kirby, Dawkins, Blount, Browning, Butler, Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Davis, Dearing, Fillingane, Frazier, Jackson (11th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Jones, King, Lee (35th), McDaniel, Mettetal, Moffatt, Powell, Simmons, Stone, Ward, Watson, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING SERGEANT 1ST CLASS JESSE R. NICHOLSON UPON HIS RECEIPT OF THE BRONZE STAR WITH VALOR FOR HIS HEROIC ACTIONS IN IRAQ ON FEBRUARY 16, 2005.
WHEREAS, the Mississippi National Guard presented Sergeant 1st Class Jesse R. Nicholson of Brandon, Mississippi, with the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device on Saturday, September 12, 2009, at the Joint Force Headquarters Auditorium in Jackson, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Jesse Nicholson was honored for his heroic actions in Iraq on February 16, 2005, while assigned to the 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry, 155th Brigade Combat Team. The Pass Christian native saved numerous lives by walking through a known IED ambush point to force the triggerman to detonate the bomb prior to his convoy's arrival. Despite his disorientation from the explosion, he maneuvered through a checkpoint to allow his unit to advance; and
WHEREAS, on that day in Iraq, the Mississippi National Guardsman volunteered to walk in front of patrol units and search for explosive devices. He and two others in the 155th Brigade Combat Team swept the area about 100 yards ahead of the four Humvees. As Nicholson guided the vehicles through a maze of craters in the road, an insurgent set off an improvised explosive device that blew an 8-foot by 5-foot hole into the ground. "They are confident he saved many lives, as many as 20 men for his actions," said his father, Chet Nicholson of Pass Christian. "His squad was hit with 14 IEDs in a 12-month period," Chet Nicholson said. "Jesse had seven Humvees knocked out from under him with IED explosions"; and
WHEREAS, the Bronze Star Medal is the United States military's fourth highest individual decoration for bravery, heroism, or meritorious service. The "V" device denotes acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy. Sergeant 1st Class Nicholson is one of nine recipients from the Mississippi National Guard to receive this honor since 2001; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Nicholson, 36, was joined by his wife, Jennifer; children, Wyatt, 2; Kinsey, 4; and Kylie, 6; as Lt. Col. Greg Michel pinned the medal at the ceremony; and
WHEREAS, the Pass Christian native joined the United States Army full-time in 1992 after graduating from high school. Three years later, he enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi and switched to the National Guard. He graduated from USM in 2001, the same year he was deployed to Bosnia. In 2002, he became a full-time National Guard staffer. He was deployed to Iraq for a year in December 2004 while a resident of Long Beach. Nicholson, who lives in Brandon, is on the Guard's full-time staff, where he helps maintain training areas at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg and Camp McCain in Grenada. He has received other designations and awards during his military service, but the Bronze Star ranks highest; and
WHEREAS, it is with great pride and humility that we recognize the heroic action of this great American and Mississippian, who is 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 recognize and commend Sergeant 1st Class Jesse R. Nicholson of Brandon, Mississippi, upon his receipt of the Bronze Star with Valor for his heroic actions in Iraq on February 16, 2005, and extend our congratulations to him and his family on this high honor.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Sergeant Nicholson and his family, forwarded to the Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.