MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2012 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Wiggins, Watson, Smith, Blount, Brown, Browning, Bryan, Burton, Butler (36th), Butler (38th), Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Collins, Dawkins, Doty, Fillingane, Flowers, Frazier, Gandy, Gollott, Hale, Harden, Harkins, Hill, Hopson, Horhn, Hudson, Jackson (11th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Jolly, Jones, Jordan, Kirby, Lee, Longwitz, Massey, McDaniel, Montgomery, Moran, Parks, Polk, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th), Sojourner, Stone, Tindell, Tollison, Turner, Ward, Wilemon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND MOURNING THE LOSS OF MASTER SERGEANT SCOTT E. PRUITT FROM GAUTIER, MISSISSIPPI, WHO WAS LOST IN ACTION IN THE NIMRUZ PROVINCE OF AFGHANISTAN ON APRIL 28, 2012.
WHEREAS, the Department of Defense has announced that a decorated Marine from Gautier, Mississippi, was lost in action from an improvised explosive device during combat maneuvers in Afghanistan. Thirty-eight-year-old Master Sergeant Scott E. Pruitt died April 28, 2012, in Nimruz Province just two months after he volunteered to return to that country to lead his troops; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Pruitt was assigned to I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, California; and
WHEREAS, he was set to retire in a year and had earned rank over an entire platoon, but he volunteered to go back into combat because he thought it was the right thing to do; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Pruitt graduated from Pascagoula High School in 1992, served in the Pascagoula High School Band, and earned a BA degree in Criminal Justice from the American Military University. He lived in Gautier when he enlisted in 1993; and
WHEREAS, Pruitt's title was Comptroller Chief and his occupational specialty was listed as a Financial Management Resource Analyst. He enlisted in June 1993 and his active duty service was scheduled to end June 23, 2013; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Pruitt will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, May 8, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Pruitt had received the Purple Heart Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal three times, as well as the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal five times, among 15 other military honors. He is remembered as one who was extremely committed to accuracy and attention to detail in his work. He was also a good friend; and
WHEREAS, his fiancée, Trisha Lane, of Bristow, Virginia, met Pruitt when he was stationed in Quantico, Virginia. They had been together just over three years and were planning a wedding in Cocoa Beach, Florida, after he returned from deployment next year. He had ideal characteristics for a friend, father and Marine; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Pruitt is survived by two daughters, Jennifer, 9, and Jordyn, 4, who also live in California, and his fiancée, Tricia Anderson-Lane of Virginia who was looking forward to him being the stepfather of her children; and
WHEREAS, since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, at least 79 soldiers or sailors with Mississippi ties have died in action. Scott was a 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 child and parent, a fallen soldier means a father and 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 Master Sergeant Scott E. Pruitt from Gautier, Mississippi, who was lost in action in the Nimruz Province of Afghanistan, and extend the thoughts and prayers of a grateful state 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 Master Sergeant Scott E. Pruitt and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.