HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 13
### (By Delegate Sheedy)
[Introduced February 13, 2025; Referred
to the Committee on Energy and Public Works then Rules.]
Requesting the Division of Highways name a bridge bearing the Bridge Number: 26-023/00-007.19 () (26A034), (39.82576, -80.57174) locally known as CAMERON RIDGE BRIDGE, carrying CR 023 over GRAVE CREEK in Marshall County as the "Corporal James E. Jackley Memorial Bridge".
Whereas, James E. Jackley was born on February 25, 1925, in Cameron, WV; and
Whereas, His parents were Willis and Grace Eckels Jackley; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley attended Cameron High School and later earned his GED; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was only 18 years old when he enlisted in the Army on July 19, 1943, where he completed basic, and he had additional training for truck driving at Camp Hood, Texas; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley also drove heavy equipment and qualified as an M-1 Sharpshooter, and all of the men in the unit were prepared to go overseas; and
Whereas, The first assignment for James E. Jackley was the Panama Canal; and
Whereas, Following that, it was on to Africa where he drove trucks and ran heavy equipment; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was then sent to the European Theatre, where his unit fought in France, the Lowlands and Germany; and
Whereas, While he was in Europe, James E. Jackley drove trucks, tanks and jeeps; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was involved in many battles and witnessed the loss of life everyday; and
Whereas, Some of his most vivid memories were the battles in Central Europe and the Rhineland; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley told about how cold it was driving the tanks in the winter; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley brought back some of his tank clothes which consisted of several layers of coats and gloves which barely helped them stay warm in the cold metal tanks; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley had several good memories also, and these included any mail from home or when the food was anything besides K-rations to eat; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley and his fellow jeep drivers enjoyed writing funny slogans on their jeeps and giving the jeeps names; and
Whereas, On November 10, 1945 while still in Germany, his enlistment ended, and in Batavia, Germany on the very same day, he re-enlisted; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley received several injuries during his time overseas; and
Whereas, One of his serious injuries was being shot through the ankle; and
Whereas, Over ·the years, this ankle caused him a great deal of pain and he had at least 13 surgeries trying to repair it; and
Whereas, His most life threatening injury was when the truck he was driving with supplies was blown up; and
Whereas, Luckily, there was a thick metal plate behind his seat which absorbed a great deal of the damage; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley still sustained a broken back and a fractured skull; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley spent time in a body cast and they put a plate in his head; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley had a strong belief in standing up to the enemy and not tolerating any mistreatment of himself or his fellow soldiers; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was proud of his chance to serve and defend his country; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley hoped that all wars would cease and that no more lives would be lost; and
Whereas, The horrors of the war haunted Jackley, and he didn't like the loss of civilian and military lives, the POW camps and all the chaos caused by war; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley spoke of how fortunate we were to live here and to have the freedom we have; and
Whereas, The favorite memory that he talked about was the sight of the Statue of Liberty on returning from overseas; and
Whereas, For his service, he received the World War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Purple Hearts; and
Whereas, He was discharged on May 10, 1947, and returned to Cameron, West Virginia; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley married Betty Richmond and they had three children; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was employed by Wheeling Machine Products for 30 years, and most of the time he wore a leg cast due to his continued surgeries; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was a charter member of the Cameron Volunteer Fire Department and served 25 years on the Cameron City Council; and
Whereas, James E. Jackley was a lifetime member of Cameron Legion Post # 18 and was very patriotic to his country; and
Whereas, On December 7, 1995, at the age of 70 he passed away, and his body was interred in Highland Cemetery in Cameron, with graveside Military Honors; and
Whereas, It is fitting that an enduring memorial be established to commemorate Corporal James E. Jackley and his contributions to Marshall County and West Virginia; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Division of Highways name a bridge bearing the Bridge Number: 26-023/00-007.19 () (26A034), (39.82576, -80.57174) locally known as CAMERON RIDGE BRIDGE, carrying CR 023 over GRAVE CREEK in Marshall County as the "Corporal James E. Jackley Memorial Bridge" and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to erect signs containing bold and prominent letters identifying the bridge as the "Corporal James E. Jackley Memorial Bridge"; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.