2023 -- H 5653
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE P ASSING OF COMMAND SE RGEANT MAJOR
RICHARD A. WINKELMAN
Introduced By: Representatives Azzinaro, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Vella-
Wilkinson, Kennedy, Noret, Roberts, Serpa, and Shallcross Smith
Date Introduced: February 16, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, Command Sergeant Major Richard A. Winkelman was the devoted husband 1
of Rhonda Winkelman for twenty-nine years. He was born in the Bronx, New York, the son of 2
Richard Winkelman, Sr., and the late Kathleen Winkelman. He moved to Natick, Massachusetts, 3
at the age of eight, and graduated from Natick High School, where he was a standout athlete in 4
football, baseball and track; and 5
WHEREAS, Always a deeply patriotic man, Mr. Winkelman joined the United States 6
Army through the ROTC program at Boston University, where he was a stellar student and 7
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Shortly thereafter, he was 8
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army; and 9
WHEREAS, Mr. Winkelman served as a Platoon Leader with Company A., 483rd 10
Engineer Battalion, and as the Executive Officer for Company B, 368th Engineer Battalion. He 11
commanded the 468th Engineer Company for four years, finishing that tour with a deployment to 12
Bosnia in 1998; and 13
WHEREAS, After fulfilling his military obligations, Mr. Winkelman began working, first 14
as an accountant for the Boston Ballet, and later as an accountant with the Forum Corporation in 15
Boston. In 2003, he joined the Rhode Island National Guard, as an enlisted soldier, joining the 16
43rd Military Police Brigade as an Intelligence Analyst; and 17
WHEREAS, Mr. Winkelman volunteered for deployment to Iraq with the 1-126th 18
Aviation Battalion in 2004, where he was deployed as the Senior Intelligence Analyst 19
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Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) for the Battalion, flying 65 missions and over 300 hours as a 1
UH-60 door gunner. He deployed several more times with the 1-133rd Infantry Battalion in 2006-2
2007, 1-126th Aviation Battalion in 2011-2012, and Company A, 2-245th Aviation Battalion in 3
2016-2017, serving his nation with bravery and honor; and 4
WHEREAS, Mr. Winkelman was promoted to the Rank of First Sergeant in March of 5
2017, and has held numerous assignments within the Rhode Island National Guard, including 6
serving as the Brigade Command Sergeant for the 56th Troop Command, where he was 7
responsible for more than 900 soldiers, until his passing; and 8
WHEREAS, Command Sergeant Major Winkelman’s military education includes passing 9
the engineer officer basic course, intelligence analyst course, aviation operations specialist 10
course, signal support specialist course, small arms muster gun course, sling load inspector 11
certification course, battle staff course, airborne school, advanced leader and senior leader course, 12
and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy; and 13
WHEREAS, Command Sergeant Major Winkelman received numerous awards and 14
honors throughout his distinguished military career including the Air Medal, the Meritorious 15
Service Medal with (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Commendation Medal with (4th Oak Leaf 16
Cluster), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Rhode Island Defense Service Medal, the 17
Rhode Island Service Medal, and the Rhode Island Emergency Service Medal, to name but a few; 18
and 19
WHEREAS, In his free time, Command Sergeant Major Winkelman was an avid sports 20
fan who enjoyed cheering on his beloved Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. He also 21
enjoyed spending time by the ocean, especially on Cape Cod and in Westerly. He was a movie 22
and music buff who often wowed people with his ability to quote famous movie scenes or songs 23
upon request. Physical fitness was very important to him and he particularly enjoyed running and 24
frequenting the gym. He and his wife loved animals and through the years adopted many cats; 25
and 26
WHEREAS, Mr. Winkelman always put his family and loved ones first in his life. In 27
addition to his wife, Rhonda, Command Sergeant Major Winkelman is survived by his father, 28
Richard Winkelman, and brothers John Winkelman and Patrick Winkelman. He also leaves 29
behind his nieces and nephews Zachary, Allison, Ryan and Shayne, his great-niece and nephew 30
Ava and Colt, his parents-in-law A. Blair and Janice Llewellyn, and his aunt MaryEllen 31
Winkelman. He also leaves behind countless friends, extended family members, and fellow 32
soldiers of the armed forces; now, therefore be it 33
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives hereby expresses its deepest 34
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condolences on the passing of Command Sergeant Major Richard A. Winkelman; and be it 1
further 2
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 3
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Rhonda Winkelman. 4
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