Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0177 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
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4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 177
5	5	By Powers
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7	7
8	8	HJR0177
9	9	003394
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14	14	A RESOLUTION to urge the naming of the Blue Springs Boat
15	15	Ramp in Speedwell in honor of U.S. Army Staff
16	16	Sergeant Terry William Prater.
17	17
18	18	WHEREAS, our nation was conceived by individuals who were willing to sacrifice their
19	19	personal safety and concerns to ensure our individual and collective freedom, and the Volunteer
20	20	State is especially proud to be the home of so many valiant men and women who have
21	21	performed above and beyond the call of duty; and
22	22	WHEREAS, the citizens of Tennessee have, throughout the years, been called upon to
23	23	take up arms against the enemies of this great nation, risking their lives and leaving their loved
24	24	ones behind to honorably safeguard the freedoms and liberties guaranteed to all citizens of
25	25	these United States and vanquishing those who threaten our way of life; and
26	26	WHEREAS, one such individual was U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Terry William Prater, who
27	27	made the ultimate sacrifice for his country in the line of duty when he was killed in Iraq on March
28	28	15, 2007, at the age of twenty-five; and
29	29	WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Terry Prater died along with four other soldiers when their
30	30	vehicle struck an explosive; they were assigned to the 1
31	31	st
32	32	Squadron, 8
33	33	th
34	34	Cavalry Regiment, 2
35	35	nd
36	36
37	37	Brigade Combat Team, 1
38	38	st
39	39	Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Staff Sergeant Prater was on
40	40	his second deployment in Iraq; and
41	41	WHEREAS, the son of Cheryl Hurley and Terry Darrell Prater, Terry Prater was born in
42	42	Kentucky on August 13, 1981; he grew up in Floyd County, Kentucky, before moving with his
43	43	mother to Claiborne County, where he graduated from Powell Valley High School in 1999; and
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45	45
46	46	- 2 - 003394
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48	48	WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Prater hunted deer and turkey, but his true love was fishing;
49	49	he was a member of Centex Bass Hunters and especially enjoyed fishing off of the Blue Springs
50	50	Boat Ramp at Norris Lake; and
51	51	WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Terry Prater was awarded a Purple Heart, and he received
52	52	the Silver Star from the President of the United States of America on August 5, 2004, for
53	53	conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Team Leader for RED Platoon,
54	54	Company C, 1
55	55	st
56	56	Battalion, 153
57	57	rd
58	58	Infantry Regiment, Task Force 1-9 Cavalry, 1
59	59	st
60	60	Cavalry Division,
61	61	during combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; and
62	62	WHEREAS, the heroism for which he was honored took place on August 4, 2004, when
63	63	he saved the life of Retired Sergeant Tim Ngo; Staff Sergeant Prater used his body to shield
64	64	Sergeant Ngo, whose skull had been shattered, from a grenade in a series of explosions in
65	65	Baghdad, Iraq; and
66	66	WHEREAS, in a show of gratitude and respect, Retired Sergeant Tim Ngo flew from
67	67	Minnesota to Speedwell to attend the celebration of life ceremony for Staff Sergeant Terry
68	68	Prater on March 26, 2007; also in attendance were members of Staff Sergeant Prater's family,
69	69	including his wife, Amy; his children, Bryson and Madisen; and his brother, who was stationed in
70	70	Afghanistan with the 82
71	71	nd
72	72	Airborne Division and was permitted to return home for the service;
73	73	and
74	74	WHEREAS, representatives of the U.S. Army, the Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, the
75	75	Claiborne County Rescue Squad, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee
76	76	National Guard, and other agencies attended the memorial; a military honor guard saluted Staff
77	77	Sergeant Prater before his family launched a flotilla of about ten boats for a ceremony to spread
78	78	his ashes across Norris Lake; and
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80	80
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83	83	WHEREAS, still today, Staff Sergeant Prater's son, Bryson Prater, launches his boat and
84	84	fishes from the Blue Springs Boat Ramp that his father loved so well and called his favorite
85	85	"fishing hole"; and
86	86	WHEREAS, while the heroic deeds of Tennesseans have been extolled throughout the
87	87	history of our State and nation, the distinguished military service of every proud Tennessean
88	88	should be illuminated, shared, and properly honored; and
89	89	WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Terry Prater of Claiborne County displayed unflinching
90	90	heroism and made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and it would be most fitting to honor
91	91	his legacy at the place where he made some of his best memories; now, therefore,
92	92	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
93	93	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
94	94	CONCURRING, that we urge the naming of the Blue Springs Boat Ramp in Speedwell in honor
95	95	of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Terry William Prater.
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