<BillNo> <Sponsor>
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 147
By McNally
SJR0147
000505
- 1 -
A RESOLUTION to honor Troop B, 1
st
Squadron, 278
th
Armored
Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National
Guard upon winning the 2024 Sullivan Cup
Competition.
WHEREAS, our nation was conceived by individuals who were willing to sacrifice their
personal safety and concerns to ensure our individual and collective freedom, and the Volunteer
State is especially proud to be the home of so many valiant men and women who have
performed above and beyond the call of duty; and
WHEREAS, one such group of individuals is Ashland City's Troop B, 1
st
Squadron, 278
th
Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR), Tennessee Army National Guard (Bonsai), whose soldiers
recently claimed first place during the U.S. Army's 2024 Sullivan Cup Competition at Fort
Moore, Georgia; and
WHEREAS, held every two years and hosted by the U.S. Army Maneuver Center, the
Sullivan Cup pits the best M1 Abrams tank and Bradley crews from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine
Corps, and foreign allies in a head-to-head competition to test a crew's maneuver, sustainment,
and gunnery skills; and
WHEREAS, by the end of the multi-day competition, the 278
th
crew from Ashland City
had defeated ten other teams, six from active-duty Army units and four from allied nations; and
WHEREAS, the members of the 1
st
Squadron, 278
th
ACR tank crew who claimed the
Sullivan Cup are Staff Sergeant David Riddick, Sergeant Joshua Owen, Specialist Noah
Eddings, and Specialist Seth Carter; and
WHEREAS, the soldiers of the 1
st
Squadron, 278
th
ACR were the only National
Guard/non-active duty unit in the competition; these soldiers represented the Tennessee Army
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National Guard and the Volunteer State well and for the next two years will be recognized
nationally and internationally as the best M1 Abrams tank crew in the world; and
WHEREAS, from Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, Alvin York, Mitchell
Stout, Larry Taylor, and James Gardener to George S. Gillespie, Jr., George Jordan, and
Harrison Collins, the first Tennessean to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the warrior ethos and
tenacity of the Volunteer is remembered; this M1 Abrams crew has demonstrated that the long-
time warrior ethos of the Tennessee Volunteer remains alive and well in Tennessee today; and
WHEREAS, this recent victory reflects not only the dedication, tenacity, and teamwork of
Staff Sergeant Riddick, Sergeant Owen, Specialist Eddings, and Specialist Carter but also the
excellence of the officer and non-commissioned officer leadership of the 278
th
ACR and the
Tennessee Army National Guard, as well as those who provide administrative, maintenance,
and supply support; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that we recognize the brave and noble members of the
278
th
Armored Cavalry Regiment, as they have made untold and innumerable personal
sacrifices to be living examples of the Regiment's motto, "I Volunteer, Sir," to preserve the
liberties we enjoy today, and to bring great pride to the State of Tennessee through their recent
victory; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED F OURTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Staff Sergeant David
Riddick, Sergeant Joshua Owen, Specialist Noah Eddings, and Specialist Seth Carter of
Ashland City's Troop B, 1
st
Squadron, 278
th
Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army
National Guard upon their first-place finish during the U.S. Army's 2024 Sullivan Cup
Competition, extending our best wishes for every continued success.
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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.