H.R. No. 2462
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt by
the family and friends of U.S. Army Specialist Keith Erin Grace Jr.
of Baytown, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 11,
2013, at the age of 26; and
WHEREAS, Assigned to the 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based
at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Specialist Grace lost his life near the
Pakistan border in southeast Afghanistan, in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Keith Grace was born on February 18, 1987, in
Houston; he overcame a series of challenges in his early years,
surviving bone cancer and losing his adoptive mother by the age of
12; later in life, he was warmly welcomed into the family of Michael
and Mary Lou Davis; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Grace graduated from Robert E. Lee High School
in 2006, and in January 2012, he enlisted in the U.S. Army; as part
of his training, he completed a class in the Dari language and was
certified as a combat lifesaver; his commendations include the
National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service and Global War
on Terror Ribbons, and he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart
and the Bronze Star; and
WHEREAS, Admired for his optimism, fortitude, and good humor,
as well his bravery and dedication, Keith Grace upheld the highest
ideals of the U.S. armed forces, and his fellow citizens owe him a
lasting debt of gratitude; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Specialist Keith Erin
Grace Jr. and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his parents, Mike and Mary Lou Davis; to his birth
parents, Cheryl Barnes and Keith Erin Grace Sr.; to his brothers,
Garland Davis, Allen Vasquez, Jeff Lee, James Leslie Hardy Jr., and
Cody Ray Barnes; to his sisters, Tara Krystal Grace, Stormy
Cheyenne Barnes, and Ashley Nichole Hardy; to his nephews, Dawson,
Chris, and Landon Brady; 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 Keith Erin
Grace Jr.
Faircloth
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2462 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 21, 2015.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House