SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 45

(By Senator Baldwin)

[Introduced February 14, 2022]

Requesting the Division of Highways name a portion of County Road 17 Minden Road, beginning at 37.97910 and ending at -81.1302 and running from Oak Hill WV 16 to the community of Minden in Fayette County, the “U.S. Army CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. Memorial Road”.

Whereas, John D. Doyle, Sr. was born on August 13, 1913, in Minden and raised in that community where he and his mother Katheryn Doyle were members of the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church.  He graduated from Collins High School in Oak Hill and went to work at the New River and Pocahontas Coal Company in Minden; and

Whereas, Answering his nation’s call, CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. entered military service on October 15, 1942.  He was assigned to the Armor Corps where he was trained as a tank crewman. He was ultimately deployed to the European Theater of Operations and fought in the North Africa, Sicily, and Italy campaigns; and

Whereas, During the invasion of Italy CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. was assigned to Company A, 751^st Tank Battalion which landed at Anzio. On May 23, 1944, during the breakout operations, CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. was killed in action at Vetino, Italy when his tank was severely damaged by enemy fire; and

Whereas, CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. was initially interred in an Allied Cemetery in Italy and later repatriated in 1949 to America and West Virginia where he lays to rest today at the High Lawn Memorial Park in Oak Hill; and

Whereas, It is fitting that an enduring memorial be established to commemorate CPL John D. Doyle Sr. and his ultimate sacrifice to our state and country; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name a portion of County Road 17 Minden Road, beginning at 37.97910 and ending at -81.1302 and running from Oak Hill WV 16 to the community of Minden in Fayette County, the “U.S. Army CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. Memorial Road”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs at both ends identifying the portion of road as the “U.S. Army CPL John D. Doyle, Sr. Memorial Road”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.