Committee Substitute

for

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 13

(By Delegate Sheedy)

[Originating in the Committee on Energy and Public Works; Reported on March 10, 2025]

Requesting the Division of Highways name a bridge bearing the Bridge Number: 26-023/00-007.19  () (26A034), (39.82576, -80.57174) locally known as CAMERON RIDGE BRIDGE, carrying CR 023 over GRAVE CREEK in Marshall County as the "U.S. Army Corporal James E. Jackley Memorial Bridge".

Whereas, James E. Jackley was born on February 25, 1925, in Cameron, WV; and

Whereas, His parents were Willis and Grace Eckels Jackley; and

Whereas, James E. Jackley attended Cameron High School and later earned his GED; and

Whereas, James E. Jackley was only 18 years old when he enlisted in the Army on July 19, 1943, where he completed basic training, and he had additional training for truck driving at Camp Hood, Texas, eventually raising to the rank of Corporal; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley also drove heavy equipment and qualified as an M-1 Sharpshooter, and all of the men in the unit were prepared to go overseas; and

Whereas, The first assignment for Corporal Jackley was the Panama Canal; and

Whereas, Following that, Corporal Jackley was on to Africa where he drove trucks and ran heavy equipment; and

Whereas, Corporal was then sent to the European Theatre, where his unit fought in France, the Lowlands and Germany; and

Whereas, While he was in Europe, Corporal Jackley drove trucks, tanks and jeeps; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley was involved in many battles and witnessed the loss of life everyday; and

Whereas, Some of his most vivid memories were the battles in Central Europe and the Rhineland; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley told about how cold it was driving the tanks in the winter; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley brought back some of his tank clothes which consisted of several layers of coats and gloves which barely helped them stay warm in the cold metal tanks; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley had several good memories also, including receiving mail from home or when the food was anything besides K-rations to eat; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley and his fellow jeep drivers enjoyed writing funny slogans on their jeeps and giving the jeeps names; and

Whereas, On November 10, 1945, while still in Germany, his enlistment ended, and in Batavia, Germany on the very same day, he re-enlisted; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley received several injuries during his time overseas; and

Whereas, One of his serious injuries was being shot through the ankle; and

Whereas, Over the years, this ankle caused him a great deal of pain and he had at least 13 surgeries trying to repair it; and

Whereas, His most life threatening injury was when the truck he was driving with supplies was blown up; and

Whereas, Luckily, there was a thick metal plate behind his seat which absorbed a great deal of the damage; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley still sustained a broken back and a fractured skull; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley spent time in a body cast and had a plate placed in his head; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley had a strong belief in standing up to the enemy and not tolerating any mistreatment of himself or his fellow soldiers; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley was proud of his chance to serve and defend his country; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley hoped that all wars would cease and that no more lives would be lost; and

Whereas, The horrors of the war haunted Corporal Jackley, and he didn't like the loss of civilian and military lives, the POW camps and all the chaos caused by war; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley spoke of how fortunate we were to live here and to have the freedom we have; and

Whereas, The favorite memory that he talked about was the sight of the Statue of Liberty on returning from overseas; and

Whereas, For his service, he received several Purple Hearts, a Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal; and

Whereas, He was discharged on May 10, 1947, and returned to Cameron, West Virginia; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley married Betty Richmond and they had three children; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley was employed by Wheeling Machine Products for 30 years, and most of the time he wore a leg cast due to his continued surgeries; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley was a charter member of the Cameron Volunteer Fire Department and served 25 years on the Cameron City Council; and

Whereas, Corporal Jackley was a lifetime member of Cameron Legion Post # 18 and was very patriotic to his country; and

Whereas, On December 7, 1995, at the age of 70 he passed away, and his body was interred in Highland Cemetery in Cameron, with graveside Military Honors; and

Whereas, It is fitting that an enduring memorial be established to commemorate Corporal James E. Jackley and his contributions to Marshall County and West Virginia; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Division of Highways name a bridge bearing the Bridge Number: 26-023/00-007.19  () (26A034), (39.82576, -80.57174) locally known as CAMERON RIDGE BRIDGE, carrying CR 023 over GRAVE CREEK in Marshall County as the "U.S. Army Corporal James E. Jackley Memorial Bridge" and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to erect signs containing bold and prominent letters identifying the bridge as the "U.S. Army Corporal James E. Jackley Memorial Bridge"; and, be it

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