Bill Text: VA SJR446 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia Senate Joint Resolution 446 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2017-02-23 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ446ER) [SJR446 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2017-SJR446-Enrolled.html

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 446 Celebrating the life of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens. Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2017 Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 2017

WHEREAS, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens, a decorated member of the elite United States Navy SEAL Team 6, was killed in action while serving his country in Yemen on January 29, 2017; and

WHEREAS, a native of Peoria, Illinois, Ryan Owens attended Illinois Valley Central High School, where he played catcher on the baseball team and was a member of the football team; and

WHEREAS, Ryan Owens fulfilled his lifelong dream to serve his country as a member of the United States Navy when he enlisted in August 1998; he graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 2002 and had been stationed in Virginia Beach as a SEAL since 2007; and

WHEREAS, in 12 deployments, Ryan Owens had earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, three Bronze Star Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, among many other decorations; and

WHEREAS, Ryan Owens' courageous service and sacrifice is a reminder of the dangers faced by American men and women in uniform around the world, who voluntarily go into harm's way in the defense of freedom and liberty; and

WHEREAS, Ryan Owens will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his loving wife, Carryn; their children, Brooke, Luke, and Taryn; his father, William; his grandmother, Evelyn; and numerous other family members, friends, and fellow SEALs; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens, a United States Navy SEAL, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator William Ryan Owens as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.