SENATE RESOLUTION
8709

By Senators Franklin, Benton, Berkey, Schoesler, Parlette, Holmquist, Shin, Hewitt, Brandland, Honeyford, Spanel, Tom, Kauffman, Kastama, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, McCaslin, Pflug, King, Delvin, Morton, Kilmer, Swecker, Hatfield, Haugen, Prentice, Marr, Brown, Eide, Carrell, Zarelli, and Hobbs

     WHEREAS, The soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, were sent to Iraq for what was to have been a year-long deployment; and
     WHEREAS, The 3,800 soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade stayed for fifteen months in Iraq, after seeing action in Mosul, Baghdad, and many other parts of Iraq considered among the toughest and most dangerous; and
     WHEREAS, The troops of the Arrowhead Stryker Brigade, as they are also known, moved farther, faster, and fought harder than any other unit in today's army, according to commander Col. Stephen Townsend; and
     WHEREAS, The soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade were credited with saving and changing the lives of Iraqi people; and
     WHEREAS, Through the bravery and dedication of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, areas of Iraq that had been abandoned by civilians due to extreme danger were repopulated; and
     WHEREAS, Through "Operation Arrowhead Ripper" to clear al-Qaida insurgents in Iraq, soldiers from the 3rd Brigade captured hundreds of enemy fighters and cleared dozens of bombs and booby-trapped houses, making it possible to then launch humanitarian relief efforts; and
     WHEREAS, The 3rd Stryker Brigade lost 48 soldiers, and suffered the wounding of 700; and
     WHEREAS, Seven soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade were awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for combat valor: Staff Sgt. Mark Grover; Staff Sgt. Shawn McGuire; Staff Sgt. David Plush; Sgt. Steven Peters; Spc. Gildardo Cebreros; and Spc. Curtis Lundren; with one awarded posthumously to Sgt. Jason Harkins; and
     WHEREAS, The members of the 3rd Stryker Brigade were redeployed to Fort Lewis in September 2007;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate honor the sacrifice and valor of these Soldiers who served their country with great distinction and honor, and express its appreciation to their families for the sacrifices they made during the deployment of their loved ones; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the commander of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.