<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 332
By Fritts
HJR0332
004312
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A RESOLUTION to honor Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phyllis Ann
Fitzgerald, United States Army, (ret.) for her
lifetime of service.
WHEREAS, citizens of the Volunteer State have a long history of sacrifice to our nation
in times of conflict and service during times of peace; and
WHEREAS, this is not limited to the men from Tennessee but includes extraordinary
women who answer the call to military service; and
WHEREAS, often this call to serve begins at an early age, resulting in a retirement from
the military and a continued civilian service to fellow citizens; and
WHEREAS, one such distinguished individual is Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phyllis Ann
Fitzgerald, who proudly served for twenty-one years in the United States Army and carried her
lifetime of service into civilian life, holding the esteemed role of executive director for the Society
of the First Infantry Division; and
WHEREAS, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Fitzgerald stands as a fine example of Volunteer
Women Veterans; her military resume demonstrates loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service,
honor, integrity, and personal courage; and
WHEREAS, born and raised in Tennessee, Phyllis Fitzgerald volunteered to serve in the
U.S. Army and entered the military at the age of seventeen with her parents' signatures; she
was in the last class of the Women's Army Corps, completing her basic training at Fort
McClellan, Alabama in 1978; and
WHEREAS, after basic training, she attended advanced individual training at Fort
Huachuca, Arizona, where she was trained as an intelligence analyst; in 1989, she applied for
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and was accepted to the Army Warrant Officer Corps, graduating as an All-Source Intelligence
Analyst; and
WHEREAS, her first assignment as a Warrant Officer was with the 1
st
Infantry Division,
where she served from 1989 to 1993; she was assigned as an All-Source Intelligence
Technician to the Assistant Chief of Staff, G2 at Fort Riley, Kansas; and
WHEREAS, she deployed to the Middle East for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm
with the 1
st
Infantry Division, where during deployment, she briefed daily the commander of the
1
st
Infantry Division, General Thomas Rhame, on the enemy current situation, capabilities, and
assessments; and
WHEREAS, during her military career, she served at various echelons, including
Battalion, Division, Corps, and Echelons above Corps; she holds an associate degree from City
Colleges of Chicago, a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Upper Iowa University, and a
Master of Science Administration degree from Central Michigan University; and
WHEREAS, after leaving the military, CW3 Fitzgerald offered herself for public office and
served as the mayor, vice mayor, and city commissioner of Junction City, Kansas, during which
time she also served on a number of civic and nonprofit organizations, including the Military
Affairs Council, Junction City Chamber of Commerce, AUSA, Armed Forces Community
Foundation, and Central Kansas Military Community Foundation; and
WHEREAS, committed to helping her fellow veterans, she was appointed by Kansas
Governor Laura Kelly to the Veteran's Claims Advisory Panel Board; she also led community
volunteer projects and engaged soldiers and community members to volunteer; she also
developed and ran The Adopt A Soldier program for new-to-the-Army and Fort Riley soldiers;
and
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WHEREAS, she led a project in her community to honor the 1
st
Infantry Division's 100
th
anniversary in 2017 and compiled a book, What is Your Big Red One Story?, of 100 Big Red
One Stories of veterans that remained in Junction City, Kansas, after departing the military; and
WHEREAS, for five years, she served as the executive director of the Society of the First
Infantry Division, a nonprofit organization that has over 9,000 members that were former and
active-duty 1
st
Infantry Division soldiers, and continues to share her time and talents as a
consultant with this exemplary organization; and
WHEREAS, no stranger to honors and accolades, she has received the Bronze Star
Medal and the Meritorious Public Service Medal from the Department of the Army; the Seitz
Family Military Community Award of the Year from the Junction City Area Chamber of
Commerce; the Jefferson Award from KSNT News; Distinguished Trooper of the Year; Citizen
of the Year from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi-Xi Chapter; and the Lockheed Martin
Employee Spotlight Award, to name but a very few; and
WHEREAS, she is a member of the Old Trooper Regiment, Lady Trooper, and American
Legion Post 254 in Collinwood; and
WHEREAS, returning to her native Tennessee in August 2024, Phyllis Fitzgerald resides
with her husband of forty-one years in Collinwood; they are the proud parents of two children,
daughter Amanda and their late son Jarid, and loving grandparents of five grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, the month of March was officially designated as Women's History Month in
1987, with President Ronald Reagan issuing the first presidential proclamation to commemorate
the celebration; and
WHEREAS, every March, Women's History Month provides an opportunity to honor the
achievements of those women who have paved the way wherein every person has an
opportunity to pursue the American dream; and
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WHEREAS, CW3 Fitzgerald is an example of both the Volunteer Spirit and one
dedicated to a life of service, and in saluting her during Women's History Month, let us
remember that when women succeed, America succeeds, as does Tennessee; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we hereby honor Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phyllis Ann Fitzgerald, U.S. Army
(ret.) on her lifetime of service as we celebrate Women's History Month and the generations of
trailblazing women who have built our State and their vital contributions to our country's history.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.