Bill Text: CA SCR38 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Memorial highways.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-07-16 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 111, Statutes of 2015. [SCR38 Detail]
Download: California-2015-SCR38-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SCR 38 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 111
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JULY 16, 2015
ADOPTED IN SENATE MAY 22, 2015
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 13, 2015
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Senator Roth
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Medina)
APRIL 9, 2015
Relative to memorial highways.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 38, Roth. Memorial highways.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway
Route 91 in the County of Riverside as the Staff Sergeant Salvador J.
Lara, Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas, and Sergeant Jesus S. Duran
Memorial Highway. The measure would request the Department of
Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing
this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara was born in Riverside,
California, in 1920 and is survived by his niece Vivian Hernandez and
his brother Alfonzo. Alfonzo accepted the Medal of Honor on behalf
of his late brother from President Barack Obama during a White House
ceremony held on March 18, 2014. Staff Sergeant Lara died on
September 1, 1945, and is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery
and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Moselle, France; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Lara was one of 24 veterans awarded the
Medal of Honor through the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2002 (Public Law 107-107) which called for a review of
Jewish American and Hispanic American veterans from World War II, the
Korean War, and the Vietnam War to ensure that Jewish American and
Hispanic American veterans deserving the Medal of Honor were not
subject to prejudice; and
WHEREAS, Then-Private First Class Salvador J. Lara distinguished
himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity for his valorous actions
in Aprilia, Italy, May 27-28, 1944. During the fight on May 27, he
aggressively led his rifle squad in neutralizing multiple enemy
strong points and inflicting large numbers of casualties on the
enemy. The next morning, as his company resumed the attack, Private
First Class Lara sustained a severe leg wound, but did not stop to
receive first aid. Private First Class Lara continued his exemplary
performance until he captured his objective; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class Lara's extraordinary heroism and
selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with
the highest traditions of the United States Army and demonstrated his
ability and leadership as the squad leader of a rifle squad with the
2nd Platoon, Company L, 180th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division
during combat operations against a determined enemy; and
WHEREAS, Private First Class Lara achieved the rank of Staff
Sergeant and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (upgraded to
the Medal of Honor on March 18, 2014), the Bronze Star, the Purple
Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle
Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the World War
II Victory Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Combat
Infantryman Badge, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War
II; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Ysmael "Smiley" R. Villegas was a Mexican
American who was born on March 21, 1924, and raised in the Casa
Blanca neighborhood in the City of Riverside, California. On October
19, 1945, President Harry S. Truman posthumously awarded the Medal of
Honor to Staff Sergeant Villegas, presenting the medal to his
surviving family. Staff Sergeant Villegas was the first Riverside
County resident to ever receive the Medal of Honor and the first
veteran to be buried at the Riverside National Cemetery when the
cemetery opened in 1978; and
WHEREAS, On March 1, 1945, Staff Sergeant Villegas' company found
itself engaged in combat against Japanese forces at the Villa Verde
Trail on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, in what is known
today as the Battle of Luzon. His squad was attacked by an enemy
machine gun nest. Staff Sergeant Villegas took it upon himself to
save his squad by destroying the nest and its occupants. For these
actions, Villegas was awarded the Silver Star; and
WHEREAS, On March 20, 1945, Staff Sergeant Villegas was leading
his squad at Villa Verde Trail in Luzon in the Philippines, his unit
advancing in a forward position, when they suddenly clashed with a
strongly entrenched group of Japanese soldiers who commanded the
surrounding area and were hiding in caves and foxholes. Staff
Sergeant Villegas moved boldly from man to man, in the face of
bursting grenades and demolition charges, through heavy machinegun
and rifle fire, to bolster the spirit of his comrades. Inspired by
his gallantry, his men pressed forward to the crest of the hill.
Numerous enemy riflemen, refusing to flee, continued firing from
their foxholes; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Villegas upon his own initiative attacked
five enemy foxholes, killing all of the occupants, and was mortally
wounded when he attacked the sixth foxhole. Through his heroism and
indomitable fighting spirit, Staff Sergeant Villegas inspired his men
to a determined attack that swept the enemy from the field; and
WHEREAS, The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) named Post 184 in
Riverside, California, the "Ysmael R. Villegas Memorial Casa Blanca
Post" in his honor. A statue by sculptor Gary Courter, called
Villegas Memorial, was dedicated on May 27, 1995, and is located on
Main Street Civic Center Courtyard in the City of Riverside. The
Ysmael R. Villegas Middle School in the City of Riverside is named in
his honor; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Villegas was survived by his mother and
father, and by five brothers and six sisters. In 2014, at a memorial
service to commemorate the Mexican American veterans from the
historic Casa Blanca community in the City of Riverside, five of
Villegas' sisters and one brother were in attendance: Rafaela,
Lottie, Helen, Martha, Pat, and Art; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Villegas was also awarded the Silver Star,
the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific
Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Philippine
Liberation Medal; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Jesus S. Duran was born on July 26, 1948, in
Juarez, Mexico, and was the sixth of 12 siblings. He passed away on
February 17, 1977, and is survived by his daughter Tina
Duran-Ruvalcaba, who accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf from
President Barack Obama on March 18, 2014, in a ceremony at the White
House. The following day, she received the Medal of Honor flag from
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in a ceremony where Sergeant Duran
was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Duran, like Staff Sergeant Lara, was one of 24
veterans awarded the Medal of Honor through the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Duran joined the United States Army on May 13,
1968, and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st
Cavalry Division (Airmobile) to support Search and Destroy missions.
During his service in the Vietnam War, Sergeant Duran distinguished
himself during combat operations against an armed enemy in the
Republic of Vietnam on April 10, 1969; and
WHEREAS, On that afternoon, upon learning that two seriously
wounded troopers lay helplessly pinned down under harassing fire,
then-Specialist Four Jesus S. Duran assaulted the suppressive enemy
positions, firing deadly bursts on the run. Mounting his weapon on a
log, he fired directly into the enemy's foxholes, eliminating four
and cutting down several others as they fled; and
WHEREAS, Specialist Four Duran then continued to pour effective
fire on the disorganized and fleeing enemy. His extraordinary heroism
and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty, as well as his
acts of gallantry and intrepidity, were in keeping with the highest
traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself,
his unit, and the United States Army; and
WHEREAS, Jesus S. Duran achieved the rank of Sergeant and, upon
leaving the military, pursued a career as a corrections officer at a
juvenile detention center in the City of San Bernardino, California.
While working there, he dedicated numerous hours of personal time to
mentor youth and lead them on educational trips. Sergeant Duran
married twice and had two children. He loved spending time with all
of his family; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Duran also received the Bronze Star Medal, the
Air Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service
Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, the
Combat Infantryman Badge, the Sharpshooter Marksmanship Badge with
Auto Rifle and the Browning Automatic Rifle "BAR" Machine Gun, the
Marksman Marksmanship Badge with Rifle Bar, the Vietnam Campaign
Medal with 1960 Device, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Unit Citations with Palm Device; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates that
portion of State Highway Route 91 from Madison Street to Third Street
in the County of Riverside as the Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara,
Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas, and Sergeant Jesus S. Duran
Memorial Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the signing
requirements for the state highway system showing this special
designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources
sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for
appropriate distribution.
