83R22859 JGH-D
By: Anderson H.R. No. 1720
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The family and friends of U.S. Army Captain Andrew
Michael Pedersen-Keel suffered an immeasurable loss with the death
of this valiant soldier on March 11, 2013, at the age of 28; and
WHEREAS, Assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special
Forces Group (Airborne), out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Captain
Pedersen-Keel was killed in Jalrez District, Afghanistan, while
supporting Operation Enduring Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Andrew Pedersen-Keel was born on June 8, 1984, in
South Miami, Florida, to Helen Pedersen and Henry Keel; he grew up
in Madison, Connecticut, and attended Avon Old Farms High School,
where he was admired for his charisma and for his athletic prowess
on the wrestling, lacrosse, and football teams; and
WHEREAS, After graduating in 2002, Captain Pedersen-Keel
became a member of the first class to enter the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point after 9/11, earning a bachelor's degree in
American legal studies in 2006; he went on to attend the Infantry
Officer Basic Training Course and the U.S. Army Ranger School at
Fort Benning, Georgia, after which he was assigned to Fort Hood as
an infantry rifle platoon leader with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team,
1st Infantry Division; and
WHEREAS, In June 2008, Captain Pedersen-Keel was deployed to
Afghanistan with the 3rd Brigade as a company executive officer,
and in September of that year, he became the leader of 3rd Platoon,
B Company, in Kandahar Province, leading his platoon on more than
150 combat foot patrols and three air assault operations; during
that time, he was promoted to the rank of captain; and
WHEREAS, Returning home in 2009, Captain Pedersen-Keel
volunteered for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course;
he went on to attend the Maneuver Captains Career Course in 2010,
and in 2011, he graduated from the Special Forces Qualification
Course; he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces
Group, as an ODA commander before being deployed in August 2012 for
a second tour in Afghanistan, where he dedicated himself to
training the Afghan army; and
WHEREAS, Captain Pedersen-Keel's decorations and awards
include two Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal, the National
Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global
War on Terror Expeditionary Medal, the NATO Medal, the Combat
Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Ranger Tab,
the Special Forces Tab, the Pathfinder Badge, the Air Assault
Badge, and the Parachutist Badge; he also received posthumously a
third Bronze Star and a Purple Heart; and
WHEREAS, During his time at Fort Hood, this outstanding young
man learned to love Central Texas; he took particular pleasure in
visiting friends and family in Austin and in running with his dog,
Lady, on the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake; he was
engaged to be married, and he had recently purchased a home in North
Carolina; and
WHEREAS, Taking to heart the motto of the U.S. Army Special
Forces, de oppresso liber, "to free the oppressed," Andrew
Pedersen-Keel embodied the highest ideals of our nation's armed
forces, and the memory of his courage, patriotism, and kindness
will continue to inspire and comfort all those he leaves behind;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of U.S. Army Captain
Andrew Michael Pedersen-Keel and extend sincere condolences to the
members of his family: to his mother, Helen Pedersen Keiser and her
husband, Bob Keiser; to his father, Henry Keel; to his sister, Mary
Elizabeth Keel; to his fiancee, Celeste Pizza; and to his other
relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Captain
Andrew Michael Pedersen-Keel.