SJ182: Celebrating the life of Captain Christopher Petty.

WHEREAS, United States Army Captain Christopher Petty, aged 33, of Vienna, Virginia, was killed in the line of duty in Iraq on January 5, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Christopher "Chris" Petty was born in Berlin, Germany; lived overseas for a time in Austria, Finland, and Jamaica, because of his father's work; graduated from James Madison High School in Fairfax County; and attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Captain Petty was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas; and was serving a second tour of duty in Iraq as a 3-16 FA Battalionsection commander; and

WHEREAS, on January 5, 2006, Captain Petty was with his unit in a convoy traveling from Baghdad to Najaf to witness the progress being made on rehabilitating local schools when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee; and

WHEREAS, Chris Petty married his beloved wife at Trinity Episcopal Church in Huntington in June 1999, and the couple had two wonderful sons, a three-year-old and a three-month-old, at the time of this death; and

WHEREAS, Captain Petty was devoted to his wife and children, who reside in Harker Heights, Texas; his mother, who lives in Vienna, Virginia; his father of Prescott, Arizona; and numerous other family members and friends; and

WHEREAS, Captain Christopher Petty's death is a reminder of the hazards faced daily by the thousands of young Americans who serve in our armed forces overseas and whose devotion to duty places them in harm's way; 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 a courageous and patriotic Virginian, Captain Christopher Petty; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Captain Christopher Petty as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the citizens of Virginia.