Extends the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the families and friends of fallen Marines Lance Corporal Ruben Velasco of West Covina, California, Corporal Nathaniel Ordway of Wichita, Kansas, and Captain Benjamin Cross of Bethel, Maine, in their bereavement.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 498 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 498
Honoring the lives of Lance Corporal Ruben Velasco of West Covina,
California, Corporal Nathaniel Ordway of Wichita, Kansas, and Captain
Benjamin Cross of Bethel, Maine, who perished on August 5, 2017, during
military operations off the coast of Australia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 29, 2017
Mrs. Napolitano (for herself, Mr. Estes of Kansas, and Mr. Poliquin)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the lives of Lance Corporal Ruben Velasco of West Covina,
California, Corporal Nathaniel Ordway of Wichita, Kansas, and Captain
Benjamin Cross of Bethel, Maine, who perished on August 5, 2017, during
military operations off the coast of Australia.
Whereas Lance Corporal Ruben Velasco was born on July 31, 1998, in West Covina,
California;
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco attended schools in the San Gabriel Valley of
California and graduated from West Covina High School in 2016;
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco played on the football and track and field teams
in high school and was known as a great teammate, leader, and
competitor;
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco was beloved by his friends and family for his
sense of humor, his never ending smile, his kindness, and his ability to
make friends with everyone;
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco was selected to assess into the Marine Corps and
could not have been more excited, discussing extensively with his family
and friends his pride in becoming a Marine to serve the United States;
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco completed basic training to earn his Eagle,
Globe, and Anchor, matriculated into infantryman training, and upon
graduation was assigned to Battery G, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd
Battalion, 5th Marines (BLT 3/5);
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco was deployed in support of the 31st Marine
Expeditionary Unit and was decorated with the National Defense Service
Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal;
Whereas Corporal Nathaniel Ordway was born on February 8, 1996, in Wichita,
Kansas;
Whereas Corporal Ordway grew up in Wichita and attended Wichita Heights High
School, where he was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training
Corps;
Whereas Corporal Ordway was an accomplished practitioner of Taekwondo, achieving
the level of black belt;
Whereas Corporal Ordway is remembered as a person with a smile on his face, the
guy who made everyone laugh, the guy who loved everyone, and a Marine
who made his family very proud;
Whereas Corporal Ordway was selected to assess into the Marine Corps after high
school, having always wanted to serve in a way that protected his
family, his community and his country;
Whereas Corporal Ordway completed basic training to earn his Eagle, Globe, and
Anchor, advanced to a Crew Chief, and was assigned to Marine Medium
Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (VMM-265);
Whereas Corporal Ordway was decorated with the National Defense Service Medal,
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal;
Whereas Captain Benjamin Cross spent most of his childhood in Bethel, Maine,
where he graduated from Telstar Regional High School;
Whereas Captain Cross excelled in high school as a scholar and athlete,
including being student president of his graduating class and receiving
a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship from the Navy;
Whereas Captain Cross was an outstanding cadet at the Virginia Military
Institute and graduated with an economics and business degree;
Whereas Captain Cross is remembered by family and friends for his caring,
compassion, magnetic personality, his love to fly, and the pride he had
in being a Marine;
Whereas Captain Cross earned his commission into the Marine Corps, advanced
through flight school, and was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor
Squadron 265 (VMM-265);
Whereas Captain Cross was decorated with the National Defense Service Medal and
the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal;
Whereas, on the evening of August 5, 2017, Lance Corporal Velasco, Corporal
Ordway, Captain Cross, and 23 other members of the Armed Forces, were
conducting regularly scheduled operations aboard an MV-22B Osprey
assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (VMM-265) in support of
the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit off the coast of the Shoalwater Bay
Training Area, Queensland, Australia;
Whereas the MV-22B Osprey was involved in a mishap and entered the water 18
miles off the coast;
Whereas courageous search and rescue efforts ensured the safe rescue of 23
personnel aboard the downed aircraft; and
Whereas Lance Corporal Velasco, Corporal Ordway, and Captain Cross made the
ultimate sacrifice defending the United States with honor: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) extends its deepest sympathies to the families and
friends of fallen Marines Lance Corporal Ruben Velasco of West
Covina, California, Corporal Nathaniel Ordway of Wichita,
Kansas, and Captain Benjamin Cross of Bethel, Maine, in their
bereavement;
(2) honors the courage and character of these brave Marines
for protecting the United States and defending the freedom of
all Americans; and
(3) encourages the people of the United States to remember
the sacrifices of Lance Corporal Velasco, Corporal Ordway, and
Captain Cross and pray for them and their families.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
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