WHEREAS, Ronald J. Shurer II was born on December 7, 1978, in Fairbanks, Alaska; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer spent most of his childhood in Tacoma, Washington while his father was stationed at McChord Air Force Base; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer graduated from Rogers High School in Puyallup, Washington in 1997 and Washington State University in 2001, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer enlisted in the United States Army from Spokane, Washington in September 2002; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer trained as an army medic and subsequently qualified to train as a Special Forces medic; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer was deployed with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan from November 2007 to May 2008 in Operation Enduring Freedom; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer participated in a joint U.S.-Afghan raid on April 6, 2008, designed to kill or capture Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin in the Shok Valley of Nuristan Province in Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer's team came under enemy machine gun, sniper, and rocket-propelled grenade fire while moving through the valley. The team suffered casualties and became pinned down on a mountainside; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer ran through enemy fire to rescue wounded soldiers and returned fire, killing several insurgents; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer treated a soldier who lost a leg, another who had RPG shrapnel in his neck, and helped evacuate the wounded to a medevac helicopter, at times using his body as a shield against debris; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer was initially awarded the Silver Star for his role in the operation. In 2016, the Pentagon conducted a review of all valor medals awarded since the 9/11 terror attacks and this resulted in Shurer's award being upgraded; and

WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Shurer received the Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump on October 1, 2018, in a ceremony at the White House;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That in celebration of his bravery and dedication to his fellow soldiers, the Washington State Senate express its gratitude to Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II for his many services to our nation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Shurer family, in recognition and appreciation of Shurer's commitment to the United States Army.