Bill Text: MS SC520 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honor military service of Mississippi National Guard Adjutant General Augustus L. (Leon)Collins.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-01-31 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC520 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-SC520-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Wilemon, Barnett, Blount, Caughman, Clarke, Dearing, DeBar, Frazier, Hopson, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jolly, Kirby, Michel, Norwood, Parker, Simmons (12th), McMahan, Carmichael
Senate Concurrent Resolution 520
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING THE MILITARY SERVICE OF MISSISSIPPI NATIONAL GUARD ADJUTANT GENERAL AUGUSTUS L. (LEON) COLLINS OF BOONEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENERAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT.
WHEREAS, Major General Augustus L. (Leon) Collins, the Adjutant General of Mississippi, has announced his retirement from the Mississippi National Guard, effective August 31, 2016. Brigadier General Janson D. (Durr) Boyles will take over the position of Adjutant General on September 1, 2016; and
WHEREAS, General Collins was appointed as the Adjutant General on January 11, 2012, by Governor Phil Bryant. The Adjutant General oversees the Mississippi Military Department and serves as Commander of the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard. The Booneville native ends his time in uniform with 35 years of service to Mississippi and the nation; and
WHEREAS, Major General Leon Collins will retire from military service, taking with him an important and historic role in the mainstreaming of African-American Mississippians into positions of high leadership. Collins, a Booneville native and a graduate of the University of Mississippi, is the first African-American to attain the rank of General in the history of the Mississippi National Guard. He rose to the rank of General from Private, graduating from Officer Candidate School and compiling a distinguished record that includes combat commands during the Gulf War; and
WHEREAS, he was nominated to serve on Mississippi's Workers' Compensation Commission in 2007, after retiring from the regular United States Army as a Brigadier General. He was awarded the rank of Brigadier General while serving in Iraq in 2005. He held command and staff positions in the Army and Mississippi National Guard, including mobilizing troops for Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. While in Iraq, he commanded a force of more than 4,500 soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines; and
WHEREAS, General Collins is a member of the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Military Academy Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. Collins holds two graduate degrees, a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Jackson State University and a Master's Degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Collins' strong education credentials cannot be underestimated. It is not unusual for command generals to hold multiple degrees, including doctorates. A smart soldier is a good soldier. Collins personifies that image; and
WHEREAS, Collins' remarkable career was built on merit, intelligence and seemingly ceaseless hard work. Governor Bryant describes him as a "soldier's soldier." Collins served on active duty in Operations Desert Shield and Storm, and commanded the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-2006. It was the largest mobilization of Mississippi troops since World War II; and
WHEREAS, General Collins considers the honor of commanding the 155th to be the best experience of his career. "Nothing compares to that. Those soldiers will always be a part of me. Every time I look at the American flag when the National Anthem is played, I think about them. I'll never forget them because they gave everything they had." Although Mississippi is the 33rd largest state in population, it boasts the 13th largest National Guard because, said Collins, Mississippians believe in service to others; and
WHEREAS, General Collins is a good example of personal achievement for young men and women of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds. He proved what can be accomplished when an individual's discipline and intelligence are focused on high goals; and
WHEREAS, General Collins leaves a legacy of a strong and free state and nation, and for this and for a career of selfless service, a grateful state thanks him and his family:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby honor the military service of Mississippi National Guard Adjutant General Augustus L. (Leon) Collins of Booneville, Mississippi, the first African-American General in the history of the state, and extend our best wishes to General Collins and his family on this auspicious occasion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Major General Collins, forwarded to the Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard and the Governor, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
