<BillNo> <Sponsor>
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 408
By Massey
SJR0408
007071
- 1 -
A RESOLUTION to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Dean Keck,
U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) on the occasion of
his retirement.
WHEREAS, the members of this General Assembly take great pleasure in paying tribute
to a dedicated educator and military officer whose outstanding contributions to his students and
community reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Navy Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps (JROTC) program; and
WHEREAS, one such individual is Lieutenant Colonel Dean Keck, U.S. Marine Corps
(Retired), who is taking a much-deserved retirement on June 15, 2025, from his position as a
JROTC Navy instructor, having faithfully served the JROTC program for ten years; and
WHEREAS, the son of Don and Ede Keck of New Tazewell, Dean Keck was born in
New Tazewell in 1962 and attended Claiborne County High School, from which he graduated in
1980; and
WHEREAS, Lt. Col. Keck joined the United States Marine Corps in January 1984 and
completed Marine Corps Boot Camp, attaining the rank of Private First Class on March 27,
1984; and
WHEREAS, rising through the ranks, he became a Staff Sergeant and applied for and
won admittance to the Warrant Officer Program, subsequently winning promotion to Warrant
Officer on February 1, 1996; and
WHEREAS, after applying to and being selected for the Limited Duty Officer Program,
he was promoted to the rank of Captain on September 1, 2001; he retired after thirty years of
distinguished service with the Marines at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in January 2014; and
WHEREAS, during his military career, he served four years in Washington, D.C., as the
22
nd
Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as a Captain with the
2
nd
Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Task Force Tarawa; and
- 2 - 007071
WHEREAS, after achieving the rank of Major in 2006, he was again deployed to Iraq,
where he served with the U.S. Army 82
nd
Airborne Division; in 2008, he was deployed to
Afghanistan and served with the 101
st
Airborne Division at Bagram Airfield. He returned to
Afghanistan for a final tour of duty in 2009, during which time he served as the Commander for
Combat Logistics Company 252 at Camp Leatherneck; and
WHEREAS, after leaving the Marine Corps, Lt. Col. Keck attended ITT Tech, where he
earned a degree in network systems administration and launched a career as a Navy JROTC
Instructor in 2015; and
WHEREAS, sharing his wisdom and experience, Lt. Col. Keck worked at Fulton High
School as a Navy JROTC Instructor for seven years; spent two years at Union County High
School, where he helped launch the school's JROTC program and obtain Navy funding; and
served this last year as the Navy JROTC Instructor at West High School; and
WHEREAS, his many professional accomplishments aside, Lt. Col. Keck is most
thankful for the love and support of his wife of twenty-three years, Kathy Keck; and
WHEREAS, Lt. Col. Dean Keck exemplifies the spirit and allegiance to family and
community that are characteristic of a true Tennessean; and
WHEREAS, throughout his estimable career, Lt. Col. Keck has demonstrated the utmost
professionalism, ability, and integrity, winning the unbridled respect and admiration of his
colleagues, students, and community; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Lieutenant Colonel Dean
Keck, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) on the occasion of his retirement as a Navy JROTC
Instructor, thank him for his decades of service to both the U.S. Marine Corps and the State of
Tennessee, and extend to him our heartfelt wishes for a happy and fulfilling retirement and
every continued success in his future endeavors.
- 3 - 007071
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.