Bill Text: WV HCR45 | 2014 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: U.S. Army SFC Bob L. VandeLinde Bridge
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2014-03-03 - House received Senate message [HCR45 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2014-HCR45-Comm_Sub.html
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 45(By Delegates Miller, Craig, Eldridge,
R. Phillips, Morgan, Barker and Sobonya)
Requesting the Division of Highways to name bridge number 22-3-7.00 (22A001) on Route 3 which crosses the Mud River and is located 0.11 miles east of County Route 1 in Hamlin, Lincoln County, the “U.S. Army SFC Bob L. VandeLinde Bridge.”
Whereas, Bob VandeLinde was born on December 20, 1929, in Hamlin, West Virginia, the son of Dennie and Mabel VandeLinde; and
Whereas, Bob VandeLinde graduated from Hamlin High School in 1947 and participated in baseball, basketball, football and boxing; and
Whereas, At the age of 17, Bob VandeLinde entered Marshall College where he made the varsity football team, which played in the 1947 Tangerine Bowl; and
Whereas, Bob VandeLinde enlisted in the US Army in 1948 and took his basic training under the famed 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SFC VandeLinde was awarded his Airborne and Glider Wings on April 1, 1949, at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was then assigned to Company K, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and
Whereas, SFC Bob VandeLinde’s regiment landed in Korea on September 25, 1950, three months after the start of the Korean War. While behind enemy lines, SFC VandeLinde made two combat jumps. The first jump was north of Pyongyang at Sukchon and Sunchon and their mission included recapturing American prisoners while engaging 6,000 enemy troops; and
Whereas, SFC Bob VandeLinde was wounded on October 22, 1950, while serving with Company K, 3d Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, near Sukchon, Korea, while leading an eight-man forward outpost and protecting his company from a surprise attack. Some sixty years later, his actions on this night were recognized when SFC VandeLinde was awarded the prestigious Silver Star in a July 22, 2011 ceremony at the National D-day Memorial; and
Whereas, SFC Bob VandeLinde made his second combat jump on March 23, 1951, at Munsan-ni, approximately 20 miles from Seoul. SFC VandeLinde’s company fought in many other battles including Bloody Inji, Hill 342-Wonju, and Punggi Pass, and he was wounded on two other occasions; and
Whereas, SFC Bob VandeLinde distinguished himself on many occasions and is the recipient of many awards including the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, Korean Presidential Citation, Navy/Marine Citation, Korean Service Medal with four combat stars and one arrow head; Korean War Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army of Occupation Medal; and
Whereas, Upon his return from Korea in 1951, SFC Bob VandeLinde met Jean Ella Vickers. Bob and Jean Ella were married on March 6, 1952, and have two sons, Terry and Marvin, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and
Whereas, Bob VandeLinde is the author of three books on the military. The first, A Tribute to Lincoln County Veterans, covers Lincoln County Veterans from the Civil War to the Vietnam War, and the proceeds from the sale of this book were donated to assist Lincoln County band students. The second book, RESPECT: Forgotten Heroes, features the stories and experiences of forty individual Veterans. The third book, KOREA: Why Were We There? What Were We Fighting For?, was partly autobiographical and written to help people realize the sacrifices that our service members made to bring freedom to South Korea; and
Whereas, On August 12, 2011, Bob VandeLinde was declared “Warrior of the Day” by the Wounded Warriors organization. The following day, fifty-nine years after he last donned a parachute during the Korean War, Bob VandeLinde took to the skies as a guest of the Wounded Warriors and jumped out of an airplane in tandem with a US Navy SEAL; and
Whereas, Bob VandeLinde is a proud American and veteran who enjoys speaking to service clubs, VFW’s, American Legions and schools about patriotism, military history and personal experiences; and
Whereas, It is fitting and proper, that the courageous action and dedicated service of Army SFC Bob VandeLinde to his country be acknowledged; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 22-3-7.00 (22A001) on Route 3 which crosses the Mud River and is located 0.11 miles east of County Route 1 in Hamlin, Lincoln County, the “U.S. Army SFC Bob VandeLinde Bridge”; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of the Division of Highways is hereby requested to erect signs at both ends of the bridge containing bold and prominent letters proclaiming the bridge the “U.S. Army SFC Bob VandeLinde Bridge”; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways and to Bob VandeLinde and his family.
