February 7, 2022
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION No. 14
DIGEST OF RESOLUTION
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the Indiana Department
of Transportation to name the bridge crossing Blue Lick Creek on US
31 near Memphis, Indiana, the "Corporal Jordan L. Spears Memorial
Bridge".
Garten, Crane, Tomes, Crider, Boots
(HOUSE SPONSORS — LINDAUER, PAYNE)
January 18, 2022, read first time and referred to Committee on Homeland Security and
Transportation.
January 25, 2022, reported favorably — Do Pass.
January 31, 2022, read second time, adopted by standing vote.
HOUSE ACTION
February 7, 2022, read first time and referred to Committee on Roads and Transportation.
SC 14—RC 1508/DI SM February 7, 2022
Second Regular Session 122nd General Assembly (2022)
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION No. 14
1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the Indiana
2 Department of Transportation to name the bridge crossing Blue
3 Lick Creek on US 31 near Memphis, Indiana, the "Corporal
4 Jordan L. Spears Memorial Bridge".
5 Whereas, Marine Corporal Jordan Lee Spears was the first
6 casualty of Operation Inherent Resolve in the war against the
7 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL);
8 Whereas, Corporal Spears was born in Sellersburg,
9 Indiana, on January 23, 1993, to Greg and Cosette Spears;
10 Whereas, Prior to graduating from Silver Creek High
11 School in 2011, Corporal Spears enlisted in the Marine Corps
12 at the age of seventeen through the Early Entry Program;
13 Whereas, Corporal Spears served as crew chief on the
14 MV-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical
15 takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing capabilities;
16 Whereas, Corporal Spears was assigned to the Marine
17 Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163, Marine Aircraft Group 16,
18 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force,
19 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar when he conducted flight
20 operations in the North Arabian Gulf in support of Operation
21 Inherent Resolve;
22 Whereas, On October 1, 2014, Corporal Spears took off
23 from the USS Makin Island in a MV-22 Osprey on a mission to
24 retrieve Marines from Kuwait and send them to Baghdad to
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1 reinforce the United States Embassy, which was under threat of
2 attack from ISIL;
3 Whereas, Shortly after takeoff, the MV-22 Osprey lost
4 power over the Arabian Gulf, and with a crash seemingly
5 imminent, Corporal Spears and the other crew chief jumped out
6 of the aircraft;
7 Whereas, Both crew chiefs left the aircraft with 60 pounds
8 of body armor into water containing nearly 5,000 pounds of jet
9 fuel that was discharged from the Osprey in an attempt to save
10 the aircraft while experiencing whiteout conditions created by
11 rotor wash;
12 Whereas, Upon landing in the water, Corporal Spears' life
13 preserver failed to automatically inflate and he failed to
14 manually inflate the preserver, eventually being lost at sea;
15 Whereas, Corporal Spears will be remembered for his
16 smile, artistic ability, love to hunt and fish, and being “loyal to
17 a fault”; and
18 Whereas, At the age of 21, Corporal Spears was the first
19 Marine supporting Operation Inherent Resolve who gave the
20 ultimate sacrifice while fighting for freedom and defending the
21 United States and the American way of life: Therefore,
22 Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly
23 of the State of Indiana, the House of Representatives
24 concurring:
25 SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly urges the
26 Indiana Department of Transportation to name the bridge
27 crossing Blue Lick Creek on US 31 near Memphis, Indiana, the
28 "Corporal Jordan L. Spears Memorial Bridge".
29 SECTION 2. The Secretary of the Senate is hereby directed
30 to transmit copies of this Resolution to the family of Corporal
31 Jordan Spears and the Commissioner of the Indiana Department
32 of Transportation.
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COMMITTEE REPORT
Madam President: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Transportation, to which was referred Senate Concurrent
Resolution No. 14, has had the same under consideration and begs
leave to report the same back to the Senate with the recommendation
that said resolution DO PASS.
(Reference is to SC 14 as introduced.)
CRIDER, Chairperson
Committee Vote: Yeas 6, Nays 0
SC 14—RC 1508/DI SM