MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2011 1st Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Kirby, Blount, Browning, Burton, Butler (38th), Carmichael, Clarke, Collins, Davis, Dawkins, Dearing, Fillingane, Frazier, Hopson, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (32nd), Jones, Lee (35th), Mettetal, Michel, Montgomery, Powell, Stone, Ward, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND MOURNING THE LOSS OF UNITED STATES ARMY STAFF SERGEANT DAVID D. SELF OF PEARL, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS LOST IN ACTION IN AFGHANISTAN ON MAY 16, 2011.
WHEREAS, United States Army Staff Sergeant David D. Self, 29, of Pearl, Mississippi, was fatally wounded while on patrol in an armored vehicle on May 16, 2011, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device in the Zabul Province of South Afghanistan. Sergeant Self was one of four soldiers lost in the attack; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Self was assigned to the Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, which is based in Vilseck, Germany, where a memorial service was held for the fallen soldiers at the Rose Barracks Cavalry Chapel. He had served several tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, David Self was a 2000 graduate of Pearl High School. He was a charismatic soldier who was proud of his country and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice a soldier can give in honor of it; and
WHEREAS, carried by an Army Honor Guard, he returned to the family and community he loved and was buried with full military honors on May 26, 2011. Self's family and friends felt comforted by the morning processional from the Mississippi Air National Guard Air Base in Rankin County to the funeral home as scores of Pearl citizens lined U.S. Highway 80 to pay respect. During the funeral his parents proudly received their son's posthumously awarded medals, including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, NATO Medal, and the Mississippi Medal of Honor. He is survived by his mother, Linda Rhodes; father and stepmother, Eddie F. Self and Kathleen Self; sister, Kimela Shull (Greg); and stepsisters, Lorene Thomas (Bill) and Sherry Wilmouth (Russell); and
WHEREAS, since operations began in the War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, at least 78 soldiers with Mississippi ties have died in action. David was a loving 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 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 mourn the loss of United States Army Staff Sergeant David D. Self of Pearl, Mississippi, who was lost in action on May 16, 2011, while conducting combat operations in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, and extend our thoughts and prayers to his family in honor of their sacrifice and our sorrow on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Staff Sergeant Self's family and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.