House Resolution 23

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING MAJOR GENERAL CATHERINE SMITH LUTZ UPON BEING THE FIRST WOMAN TO REACH THE RANK OF MAJOR GENERAL IN THE MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL GUARD.

WHEREAS, Major General Catherine Smith Lutz, a native of Jackson and current resident of Flora, is the first woman to reach the rank of Major General in the Mississippi National Guard; and

WHEREAS, a woman who has attained many firsts, Major General Lutz was also the first woman to reach the rank of Brigadier General in the Mississippi National Guard; and

WHEREAS, Major General Lutz graduated from Wingfield High School in 1973 and received a nursing degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1978, and soon after graduating, she went to work at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Jackson, where she worked for about ten years; and

WHEREAS, on September 11, 1982, Major General Lutz was sworn in to the Mississippi Air National Guard at the 172nd Airlift Wing in Jackson; and

WHEREAS, as a Lieutenant Colonel in January 1999, she was in charge of medical and dental care for more than 2,400 joint-force troops for five months at a United States medical unit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during Operations Southern Watch; and

WHEREAS, from March 19, 2006, to November 2008, Major General Lutz was the assistant to the Commander of the 59th Medical Wing at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas; and

WHEREAS, in her most recent assignment as Brigadier General in the Mississippi National Guard, Major General Lutz reported to Major General Kimberly A. Siniscalchi, Chief Nurse of the Air Force; and

WHEREAS, she finds constant support in her husband, retired Assistant Adjutant General for the Mississippi Air National Guard, Bill Lutz, and she finds encouragement from her parents, Mr. William Hugh Smith, Jr., of Brandon and Ms. Marjorie Jaap of Jackson; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend those individuals such as Major General Catherine Lutz, who display excellence in leadership and dutifully serve their country and the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Major General Catherine Smith Lutz upon being named the first woman to reach the rank of Major General in the Mississippi National Guard, and express best wishes for success in all of her future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Major General Lutz and to members of the Capitol Press Corps.