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A JOINT RESOLUTION designating the Edgar Harrell Memorial Highway in 1
Trigg County. 2
WHEREAS, Edgar Alvin Harrell was born on October 10, 1924, in Trigg County, 3
to Alvin H. and Myra Belle Atwood Harrell; and 4
WHEREAS, Edgar Harrell served in the United States Military as a Marine from 5
1943 to January 1946; and 6
WHEREAS, while serving as a Marine in the Pacific, Edgar Harrell was stationed 7
on the USS Indianapolis as one of 1,196 crew members; and 8
WHEREAS, Edgar Harrell was one of the Marines responsible for the security of 9
enriched uranium destined for the atomic bomb, "Little Boy," during USS Indianapolis's 10
top-secret transport mission to the Tinian Naval Base from San Francisco on July 16, 11
1945; and 12
WHEREAS, after leaving Tinian Island on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was 13
struck by two torpedoes from a Japanese submarine causing explosions and massive 14
damage, which quickly and completely sunk the ship within 12 minutes of the initial 15
attack; and 16
WHEREAS, the crew members that managed to escape the ship during the sinking, 17
approximately 900 men, including Edgar Harrell, clung to the remaining lifeboats and 18
awaited rescue for four long days. During this time, the survivors suffered exposure, 19
dehydration, shark attacks, hypothermia, and other horrors; and 20
WHEREAS, on August 2, 1945, the 317 remaining survivors were rescued from the 21
Pacific Ocean by the United States Navy, and included in their number was Edgar 22
Harrell; and 23
WHEREAS, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis is the greatest single ship disaster 24
in the history of the United States Navy; and 25
WHEREAS, Edgar Harrell, with the help of his son, David Harrell, wrote a book 26
about surviving the ordeal called Out of the Depths: An Unforgettable WWII Story of 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1214
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Survival, Courage, and the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis which was published in 1
2016; and 2
WHEREAS, in 2018, Edgar Harrell was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal 3
and received an honorary promotion to the rank of Sergeant; and 4
WHEREAS, Edgar Harrell, the last surviving Marine of the USS Indianapolis 5
sinking, passed away at the age of 96 on May 8, 2021; and 6
WHEREAS, Edgar Harrell's courage, resilience, and life of service deserves 7
tangible recognition and it is fitting that his service be honored; 8
NOW, THEREFORE, 9
Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 10
ď˘Section 1. The Transportation Cabinet shall designate U.S. Route 68/Kentucky 11
Route 80 in Trigg County, from mile point 9.0 to the intersection with Kentucky Route 12
1489, as the "Edgar Harrell Memorial Highway" and shall, within 30 days of the effective 13
date of this Resolution, erect appropriate signs denoting this designation. 14