Bill Text: WV HCR75 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore Bridge
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-18 - To House Technology and Infrastructure [HCR75 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2019-HCR75-Introduced.html
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 75
(By Delegates Tomblin, Maynard, Hicks, Miller, Zukoff, Williams, Thompson and Rodighiero)
[Introduced February 18, 2019]
Requesting the Division of Highways name bridge number 23-10-12.56 NB & SB (23A377, 23A378), locally known as Lyburn Bridge, carrying WV 10 over Land Relief in Logan County, the “U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore Bridge”.
Whereas, Henry Kilgore was born on December 22, 1922, in Draffin, Kentucky, one of ten children in his family; and
Whereas, Like many in the Appalachian region at the time, Henry Kilgore’s family struggled to make ends meet and at age 14, Henry left school to work in the coal mines to support his family; and
Whereas, Due to a lack of modern equipment, Henry Kilgore mined coal with a pick and shovel and hauled it out with a mule and a cart; and
Whereas, At the age of twenty, Henry Kilgore was drafted into the U. S. Army to serve his country during World War II. He served in the 33rd Sig Light Construction where he ultimately reached the rank of Staff Henry; and
Whereas, SSG Kilgore served in Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was also present at the Battle of the Bulge and arrived on the beaches of Iwo Jima as American soldiers famously raised an American flag; and
Whereas, SSG Kilgore was honorably discharged from the Army on December 19, 1945; and
Whereas, SSG Kilgore came home to go back into the coal mines to continue to work for the rest of his working life; and
Whereas, SSG Kilgore married his soul mate, Leona Bartley Kilgore, on February 6, 1946. They were blessed to raise six daughters; and
Whereas, SSG Kilgore selflessly worked in the mines to support his family, even though working conditions were frequently unsafe. He was injured numerous times while on the job, including an occasion where his head was pinned in a roof fall. He was hospitalized for an extended period of time after the accident, suffering broken bones in his face and severe injuries to his eye; and
Whereas, SSG Kilgore also acted many times, both during his service in the war and his job as a miner, without concern for his own safety; and
Whereas, For these reasons it is fitting and proper that the bridge be named in honor of SSG Kilgore; therefore, be it
Resolved by the West Virginia Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 23-10-12.56 NB & SB (23A377, 23A378), locally known as Lyburn Bridge, carrying WV 10 over Land Relief in Logan County, the “U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore 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 as the “U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore Bridge”; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.
