SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3

(By Senators Palumbo, Blair and Stollings)

Requesting the Division of Highways to name the portion of Route 25, from its intersection at West 11th Street to its intersection at Republic Way, in Kanawha County, West Virginia, the “U. S. Army Sgt. James Lawrence Taylor Memorial Road”.

            Whereas, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor was born on June 9, 1943, the son of Monte and Ruth Taylor of Nitro, and brother of Monte, Jr., Kent, Jerry and David; and

            Whereas, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor attended Nitro High School, but left in 1960 before graduating to enlist in the Army, serving in Germany and Vietnam; and

            Whereas, While in Vietnam, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor was a member of the 5th Mobile Strike Force Command, Detachment A-503, known as the Green Berets; and

            Whereas, On March 9, 1966, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor was on a special mission to reinforce a special force detachment located at Camp A Shau in South Vietnam when Camp A Shau came under attack by Viet Cong; and

            Whereas, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor assumed command when the company commander was killed by enemy fire; and

            Whereas, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor was injured by Viet Cong rifle fire, and he was carried out of Camp A Shau when troops were forced to abandon the evacuation; and

            Whereas, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor’s body was never recovered, and he was presumed dead by the military; and

            Whereas, Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor was awarded the Purple Heart medal posthumously and the Award of the Silver Star posthumously in 1966; and

            Whereas, It is only fitting and proper that this stretch of road, in the county of his birth and the area in which he lived all his young life, be named in his honor so that Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor’s supreme sacrifice will be memorialized and not forgotten; therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name the portion of Route 25, from its intersection at West 11th Street to its intersection at Republic Way, in Kanawha County, West Virginia, the “U. S. Army Sgt. James Lawrence Taylor Memorial Road”; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to have made and be placed signs identifying the portion of Route 25 as the “U. S. Army Sgt. James Lawrence Taylor 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 Secretary of the Department of Transportation, the Commissioner of Highways and to the family of the late Sergeant James Lawrence Taylor.