83R12258 BPG-D
By: Gonzales H.R. No. 947
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Stephen Douglas Barthelme is
retiring from the United States Army in June 2013, concluding a
distinguished military career that has spanned 20 years; and
WHEREAS, The son of John and Carol Barthelme, Stephen
Barthelme was born in Highland Park, Illinois, on December 8, 1970;
he lived briefly in Louisiana until his family settled in Alvin;
after completing his bachelor's degree in political science at The
University of Texas at Austin, he enlisted in the army as a signals
intelligence specialist and Korean linguist, and he subsequently
received training at the prestigious Defense Language Institute
Foreign Language Center in Monterey, California; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Barthelme served at Fort Lewis in
Washington state and Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo before
being posted to Korea, where he attended Yonsei University;
continuing to rise through the ranks, he returned to Goodfellow AFB
and then studied at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management
Institute in Cocoa Beach, Florida, before an assignment as garrison
equal opportunity advisor in Mannheim, Germany; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, Sergeant Barthelme transferred to Fort
Riley, Kansas, and the following year he deployed to Kirkuk in Iraq
to serve as first sergeant to Alpha Company 1-1 Brigade Special
Troops Battalion; since June 2012 he has been stationed at Fort Hood
as a signal intelligence supervisor for the 15th Military
Intelligence Battalion, 500th Military Intelligence Brigade,
Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed officer is the recipient of numerous
awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star, the Meritorious
Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation
Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Army Achievement Medal
with three oak leaf clusters; and
WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Sergeant Barthelme enjoys the
love and support of his wife, Heather, whom he has known since the
two became friends in the fifth grade; the couple married on June
24, 2006, in their hometown of Alvin; and
WHEREAS, Stephen Barthelme has exemplified the highest
standards of the United States Army, and his outstanding efforts in
this country's behalf are indeed deserving of his fellow citizens'
deepest gratitude; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Sergeant First Class Stephen
Douglas Barthelme on his retirement from the United States Army and
extend to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness as he
embarks on the next exciting chapter of his life; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Sergeant Barthelme as an expression of high regard by
the Texas House of Representatives.