Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0332 Compare Versions

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

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2	2	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
3	3
4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 332
5	5	By Fritts
6	6
7	7
8	8	HJR0332
9	9	004312
10	10	- 1 -
11	11
12	12	A RESOLUTION to honor Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phyllis Ann
13	13	Fitzgerald, United States Army, (ret.) for her
14	14	lifetime of service.
15	15
16	16	WHEREAS, citizens of the Volunteer State have a long history of sacrifice to our nation
17	17	in times of conflict and service during times of peace; and
18	18	WHEREAS, this is not limited to the men from Tennessee but includes extraordinary
19	19	women who answer the call to military service; and
20	20	WHEREAS, often this call to serve begins at an early age, resulting in a retirement from
21	21	the military and a continued civilian service to fellow citizens; and
22	22	WHEREAS, one such distinguished individual is Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phyllis Ann
23	23	Fitzgerald, who proudly served for twenty-one years in the United States Army and carried her
24	24	lifetime of service into civilian life, holding the esteemed role of executive director for the Society
25	25	of the First Infantry Division; and
26	26	WHEREAS, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Fitzgerald stands as a fine example of Volunteer
27	27	Women Veterans; her military resume demonstrates loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service,
28	28	honor, integrity, and personal courage; and
29	29	WHEREAS, born and raised in Tennessee, Phyllis Fitzgerald volunteered to serve in the
30	30	U.S. Army and entered the military at the age of seventeen with her parents' signatures; she
31	31	was in the last class of the Women's Army Corps, completing her basic training at Fort
32	32	McClellan, Alabama in 1978; and
33	33	WHEREAS, after basic training, she attended advanced individual training at Fort
34	34	Huachuca, Arizona, where she was trained as an intelligence analyst; in 1989, she applied for
35	35
36	36
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38	38
39	39	and was accepted to the Army Warrant Officer Corps, graduating as an All-Source Intelligence
40	40	Analyst; and
41	41	WHEREAS, her first assignment as a Warrant Officer was with the 1
42	42	st
43	43	Infantry Division,
44	44	where she served from 1989 to 1993; she was assigned as an All-Source Intelligence
45	45	Technician to the Assistant Chief of Staff, G2 at Fort Riley, Kansas; and
46	46	WHEREAS, she deployed to the Middle East for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm
47	47	with the 1
48	48	st
49	49	Infantry Division, where during deployment, she briefed daily the commander of the
50	50	1
51	51	st
52	52	Infantry Division, General Thomas Rhame, on the enemy current situation, capabilities, and
53	53	assessments; and
54	54	WHEREAS, during her military career, she served at various echelons, including
55	55	Battalion, Division, Corps, and Echelons above Corps; she holds an associate degree from City
56	56	Colleges of Chicago, a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Upper Iowa University, and a
57	57	Master of Science Administration degree from Central Michigan University; and
58	58	WHEREAS, after leaving the military, CW3 Fitzgerald offered herself for public office and
59	59	served as the mayor, vice mayor, and city commissioner of Junction City, Kansas, during which
60	60	time she also served on a number of civic and nonprofit organizations, including the Military
61	61	Affairs Council, Junction City Chamber of Commerce, AUSA, Armed Forces Community
62	62	Foundation, and Central Kansas Military Community Foundation; and
63	63	WHEREAS, committed to helping her fellow veterans, she was appointed by Kansas
64	64	Governor Laura Kelly to the Veteran's Claims Advisory Panel Board; she also led community
65	65	volunteer projects and engaged soldiers and community members to volunteer; she also
66	66	developed and ran The Adopt A Soldier program for new-to-the-Army and Fort Riley soldiers;
67	67	and
68	68
69	69
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71	71
72	72	WHEREAS, she led a project in her community to honor the 1
73	73	st
74	74	Infantry Division's 100
75	75	th
76	76
77	77	anniversary in 2017 and compiled a book, What is Your Big Red One Story?, of 100 Big Red
78	78	One Stories of veterans that remained in Junction City, Kansas, after departing the military; and
79	79	WHEREAS, for five years, she served as the executive director of the Society of the First
80	80	Infantry Division, a nonprofit organization that has over 9,000 members that were former and
81	81	active-duty 1
82	82	st
83	83	Infantry Division soldiers, and continues to share her time and talents as a
84	84	consultant with this exemplary organization; and
85	85	WHEREAS, no stranger to honors and accolades, she has received the Bronze Star
86	86	Medal and the Meritorious Public Service Medal from the Department of the Army; the Seitz
87	87	Family Military Community Award of the Year from the Junction City Area Chamber of
88	88	Commerce; the Jefferson Award from KSNT News; Distinguished Trooper of the Year; Citizen
89	89	of the Year from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi-Xi Chapter; and the Lockheed Martin
90	90	Employee Spotlight Award, to name but a very few; and
91	91	WHEREAS, she is a member of the Old Trooper Regiment, Lady Trooper, and American
92	92	Legion Post 254 in Collinwood; and
93	93	WHEREAS, returning to her native Tennessee in August 2024, Phyllis Fitzgerald resides
94	94	with her husband of forty-one years in Collinwood; they are the proud parents of two children,
95	95	daughter Amanda and their late son Jarid, and loving grandparents of five grandchildren; and
96	96	WHEREAS, the month of March was officially designated as Women's History Month in
97	97	1987, with President Ronald Reagan issuing the first presidential proclamation to commemorate
98	98	the celebration; and
99	99	WHEREAS, every March, Women's History Month provides an opportunity to honor the
100	100	achievements of those women who have paved the way wherein every person has an
101	101	opportunity to pursue the American dream; and
102	102
103	103
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106	106	WHEREAS, CW3 Fitzgerald is an example of both the Volunteer Spirit and one
107	107	dedicated to a life of service, and in saluting her during Women's History Month, let us
108	108	remember that when women succeed, America succeeds, as does Tennessee; now, therefore,
109	109	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
110	110	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
111	111	CONCURRING, that we hereby honor Chief Warrant Officer 3 Phyllis Ann Fitzgerald, U.S. Army
112	112	(ret.) on her lifetime of service as we celebrate Women's History Month and the generations of
113	113	trailblazing women who have built our State and their vital contributions to our country's history.
114	114	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
115	115	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
116	116	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
117	117	without House or Senate designation.