[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 498 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.
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