HJ543: Celebrating the life of Special Operator Chief Petty Officer

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 543
Offered February 29, 2008
Celebrating the life of Special Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Michael Eugene Koch.
Patron-- Suit

WHEREAS, Special Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Michael Eugene Koch, United States Navy, died February 4, 2008, as a result of enemy action while conducting combat operations in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Chief Koch was assigned to a Naval Special Warfare Development Group in Virginia Beach at the time of his deployment in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Chief Koch enlisted in the Navy in July 1998 and in January 1999 he reported for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training at the Naval Special Warfare Center, Coronado, California, graduating with Class 224 in August 1999; and

WHEREAS, Chief Koch spent his entire career with East Coast-based SEAL teams, and he served in Afghanistan and Kosovo before going to Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Chief Koch was from a select group of SEALs who believe in service as crusaders of the republic and believe that freedom is the gold of this nation that is worth fighting for; and

WHEREAS, during his service, Chief Koch received many awards and decorations, including two Bronze Stars with Valor, the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, three Good Conduct Medals, two National Defense Service Medals, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, five Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, the NATO Medal, the Expert Rifle Medal, and the Expert Pistol Medal; and

WHEREAS, Chief Koch will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his parents, brother, and sister; his fiancée and her son; and numerous other family members, friends, and teammates; and

WHEREAS, Chief Koch’s death is a reminder of the hazards faced daily by the thousands of 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 House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a courageous and patriotic American, Special Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Michael Eugene Koch; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Special Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Michael Eugene Koch, United States Navy, as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the citizens of the Commonwealth.