Bill Text: MS SC555 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Remembering the historic service of P.O. First Class Jim Johnston who was lost on the USS Oklahoma during the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-09 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC555 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-SC555-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Doty, Barnett, Blackwell, Caughman, Clarke, Dearing, Frazier, Jackson (32nd), Parker, Watson
Senate Concurrent Resolution 555
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE HISTORIC SERVICE OF PETTY OFFICER FIRST CLASS JIM H. JOHNSTON WHO WAS LOST 75 YEARS AGO ON THE BATTLESHIP USS OKLAHOMA DURING THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR AND EXTENDING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS INTERMENT IN WESSON CEMETERY ON DECEMBER 7, 2016.
WHEREAS, on the 75th Anniversary of his death, an American hero is finally laid to rest. Thousands of people gathered along the streets of Wesson on December 7, 2016, to watch as Petty Officer First Class Jim H. Johnston received a proper burial with full military honors; and
WHEREAS, Johnston, a 23-year-old Sailor from Wesson, died along with the other 428 crewmen on board the USS Oklahoma when Japanese aircraft attacked it on December 7, 1941. The USS Oklahoma, moored at Ford Island, took several torpedo hits and quickly capsized. No single vessel at Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the USS Arizona, suffered as many fatalities; and
WHEREAS, he was the only serviceman who perished during the bombing of Pearl Harbor to be buried in the United States, which was the 75th Anniversary of the horrific attack. He was the first casualty of the war from Wesson; and
WHEREAS, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese empire launched a sneak attack on the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, sinking or crippling all eight American battleships in port and destroying all the United States' and British aircraft in the Pacific, killing over 2,400 military personnel and injuring 1,178. The bombing raid afforded Japan control of one-quarter of the Earth's surface for a time. The Pearl Harbor attack was a sobering tragedy that quickly galvanized America into a united nation willing and ready to suffer and sacrifice to avenge those whose lives were taken with such utter disregard for human suffering; and
WHEREAS, every Wesson Attendance Center student stood at attention in front of the school, looking down on the cemetery from the hilltop throughout the procession and funeral. After Johnston arrived at the cemetery, Navy service members unloaded his casket and placed him at his final resting place near the graves of his parents and other family members. Those in the crowded cemetery stood as the sound of rifle fire cracked the silence three times before taps was played. A flyover by Brookhaven Pilot Paul Barrett, a member of the Mississippi Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in his antique Temco T-35 Buckaroo, followed. Working in precision formation, two Navy service members folded and presented the American flag from Johnston's coffin to his oldest living relative, nephew Frank Springs, of Lucedale. Springs accepted the Flag and held it to his heart as tears rolled down his face for the remainder of the one-hour service; and
WHEREAS, Governor Phil Bryant spoke directly to Springs and his family: "Today Johnston is back in Mississippi with family and friends. We have no doubt that for 75 years now, he has walked the streets of glory; that he has sailed calm and peaceful seas. We dedicate here today his mortal remains in his final resting place. Jimmy Johnston and those who were lost on December 7, 1941, shall never be forgotten. Generations will look back upon this day, realizing that an American hero has come home," Bryant said, choking back his own tears. "Pray for those families of the other 428 sailors who were lost that day on the USS Oklahoma. We remember those 700 Mississippians who remain unaccounted for in World War II"; and
WHEREAS, Jim Johnston was a loving son who is counted among America's heroes, committed to our nation's safety and security. To a country, a fallen soldier means a national loss; to a community, a fallen sailor means a true hero; to a family, a fallen sailor means a family member who won't be coming home. Mississippians understand the costs of conflict, because we have paid them in the past, and it is with great pride and humility that we recognize the heroic action of this great American and Mississippian, who was the guardian of civilization as we know it today:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby remember the historic service of Petty Officer First Class Jim H. Johnston who was lost 75 years ago on the Battleship USS Oklahoma during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and extend the condolences of the Mississippi Legislature on the occasion of his interment in Wesson Cemetery on December 7, 2016.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Jim Johnston, forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
