HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 55

(By Delegates Phillips, Rodighiero and Marcum)

[Introduced February 8, 2018; Referred to the Committee on Roads and Transportation then Rules]

Requesting the Division of Highways to name bridge number 23-10-12.56 NB & SB (23A377, 23A378), locally known as Lyburn Bridge, carrying WV 10 over Land Relief in Logan County, the “U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore Bridge”.

Whereas, Sergeant Henry Kilgore was born on December 22, 1922, in Draffin, Kentucky, one of ten children in his family; and

Whereas, Like many in the Appalachian region at the time, Sergeant Kilgore’s family struggled to make ends meet and at age fourteen, Henry left school to work in the coal mines to support his family; and

Whereas, Due to a lack of modern equipment, Sergeant Kilgore mined coal with a pick and shovel and hauled it out with a mule and a cart; and

Whereas, At the age of twenty, Sergeant Kilgore was drafted into the U. S. Army to serve his country during World War II. He served in the 33^rd Sig Light Construction where he ultimately reached the rank of Staff Sergeant; and

Whereas, Sergeant Kilgore served in Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. He was also present at the Battle of the Bulge and arrived on the beaches of Iwo Jima as American soldiers famously raised an American flag; and

Whereas, Sergeant Kilgore was honorably discharged from the Army on December 19, 1945; and

Whereas, Sergeant Kilgore came home to go back into the coal mines to continue to work for the rest of his working life; and

Whereas, Sergeant Kilgore married his soul mate, Leona Bartley Kilgore, on February 6, 1946. They were blessed to raise six daughters; and

Whereas, Sergeant Kilgore selflessly worked in the mines to support his family, even though working conditions were frequently unsafe. He was injured numerous times while on the job, including an occasion where his head was pinned in a roof fall. He was hospitalized for an extended period of time after the accident, suffering broken bones in his face and severe injuries to his eye; and

Whereas, Sergeant Kilgore also acted many times, both during his service in the war and his job as a miner, without concern for his own safety; and

Whereas, For these reasons it is fitting and proper that the bridge be named in honor of Sergeant Kilgore; therefore, be it

Resolved by the West Virginia Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 23-10-12.56 NB & SB (23A377, 23A378), locally known as Lyburn Bridge, carrying WV 10 over Land Relief in Logan County, the “U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore Bridge”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of the Division of Highways is hereby requested to erect signs at both ends of the bridge containing bold and prominent letters proclaiming the bridge the “U. S. Army SSG Henry Kilgore Bridge”; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways.