MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 2nd Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) King, Albritton, Baria, Blount, Brown, Browning, Bryan, Burton, Butler, Butler (36th), Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Davis, Dawkins, Dearing, Dickerson, Fillingane, Flowers, Frazier, Gollott, Gordon, Harden, Hewes, Hopson, Horhn, Hudson, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (11th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Jones, Jordan, Kirby, Lee (35th), Lee (47th), McDaniel, Mettetal, Michel, Moffatt, Montgomery, Nunnelee, Powell, Simmons, Stone, Tollison, Turner, Walls, Ward, Watson, Wilemon, Yancey
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND MOURNING THE LOSS OF UNITED STATES ARMY SERGEANT ANTHONY O. MAGEE OF HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI, WHO DIED ON APRIL 27, 2010, FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED IN ACTION IN IRAQ, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, Sergeant Anthony O. Magee, 29, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, returned home for the final time when a Kalitta Charters jet carrying his flag-draped coffin touched down at the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport on Friday, May 7, 2010. Sergeant Magee, a member of the Army's 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Georgia, died April 27, 2010, from wounds suffered three days earlier when his unit came under indirect fire at Contingency Operating Base Kasul in Iskandariyah, Iraq; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Magee became the second soldier from the Hattiesburg area killed in a 20-day span during Operation Iraqi Freedom; and
WHEREAS, an escort of law enforcement from Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff's Office, Petal Police Department, University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi Highway Patrol, followed by a formation of Patriot Guard Riders, led the procession down I-59. From there, the line traveled along the Evelyn Gandy Parkway and Glendale Avenue, before winding past Hattiesburg High School and other central Hattiesburg neighborhoods before arriving at the funeral home; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Anthony Magee was married to his wife Courtney for only two months before he died April 27 at a military hospital in Germany. He was awarded the Purple Heart before his death at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany; and
WHEREAS, his hometown of Hattiesburg is grieving the loss of this young hero carried by an Army honor guard, he returned to the family he loved and to his hometown and was buried with full military honors. The funeral at Shady Grove Baptist Church was sad but punctuated by light laughter at stories told by those close to the man known to some as Ant, Slim or simply Sergeant Magee. Brigadier General R. Phil Fisher presented letters from members of Magee's unit and read them aloud. Magee's family was presented with several awards for Magee's service, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. General Fisher commended Magee for being an excellent soldier who fulfilled his duties. He said Sergeant Magee enlisted after the war had begun and knew he would possibly face death. "He could've stayed home, but he chose to go, and for that, he deserves our ultimate respect"; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Magee graduated from Hattiesburg High School in 2000. Magee was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, and he was also injured in his first tour of duty; and
WHEREAS, survivors include his wife, Courtney Lee-Magee; his father, Tony Davis of Hattiesburg; his mother, Patricia Davis of Hattiesburg; a son, Kameron Johnson of Tupelo; two brothers, Dominque Magee of Germany and Emmanueal LeRon Magee of Louisiana; and a sister, Marcia "Monica" LaTricia Duncan of Kentucky. He was preceded in death by a son, Anthony O'Neal Magee, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, since operations began in Iraq and Afghanistan, at least 73 soldiers or sailors with strong Mississippi ties have died in action; and
WHEREAS, Anthony Magee was a loving husband, father 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 wife or parent, a fallen soldier means a 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 mourn the loss of United States Army Sergeant Anthony O. Magee of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who died on April 27, 2010, from wounds received in action when enemy forces attacked his unit in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on April 24, 2010, and extend the thoughts and prayers of the Legislature to his family in honor of their sacrifice and our sorrow on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Sergeant Magee and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.