PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2393 PRINTER'S NO. 2448
No. 1795 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY HORNAMAN, BISHOP, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CAUSER,
COHEN, CONKLIN, CREIGHTON, EVERETT, FLECK, GALLOWAY, GEIST,
GEORGE, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, HARKINS, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS,
W. KELLER, KENNEY, KULA, MAJOR, MANTZ, MARKOSEK, METCALFE,
MOYER, NAILOR, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PAYNE, PERRY, PETRONE,
PRESTON, PYLE, RAMALEY, RAPP, RAYMOND, READSHAW, ROAE,
SAINATO, SAYLOR, SHAPIRO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SURRA,
R. TAYLOR, VEREB, WATSON, J. WHITE, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD,
SCAVELLO, MILLARD, MANN, GRUCELA, MAHONEY, VULAKOVICH,
MARSHALL, MURT, REICHLEY, FREEMAN, DALLY, HARHART, MILNE,
REED, GOODMAN, DENLINGER, BARRAR AND M. KELLER,
AUGUST 10, 2007
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, SEPTEMBER 17, 2007
AN ACT
1 Designating the Powell Avenue Bridge on State Route 299 in
2 Millcreek TOWNSHIP, ERIE COUNTY, Pennsylvania, as the Staff <--
3 Sergeant Jeremy R. Horton Memorial Bridge.
4 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Jeremy R. Horton was born June 16,
5 1979, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Timothy J. Horton of Fairview
6 TOWNSHIP, ERIE COUNTY, Pennsylvania, and Gretchen S. <--
7 (Wittenburg) Horton of Millcreek TOWNSHIP, ERIE COUNTY, <--
8 Pennsylvania; and
9 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton graduated from Strong Vincent High
10 School IN ERIE, ERIE COUNTY, in 1997 where he had met the love <--
11 of his life, Cristie Schock; and
12 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton enlisted in the United States Army in
13 November 1997 as an infantryman, after Basic Training, AIT and
1 Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia; and
2 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton and Ms. Schock were wed July 6, 1998,
3 and posted to Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and
4 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton rose rapidly through the ranks,
5 serving as a SAW gunner, grenadier and Fire Team Leader in 2nd
6 Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the "Devils in
7 Baggy Pants"; and
8 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton was also an avid free-fall sport
9 parachutist, played the drums and was proud of his band, the
10 "Welfare Babies"; and
11 WHEREAS, In January 2002, S. Sgt. Horton and his wife arrived
12 in Germany, where he was first assigned as a team leader and
13 later squad leader in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 6th
14 Infantry, Baumholder; and
15 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton was promoted to Staff Sergeant in
16 March 2003, and deployed with 2nd Brigade, 1AD to Iraq for
17 Operation Iraqi Freedom; and
18 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton joined Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion,
19 6th Infantry in June while deployed, serving initially in the
20 commander's personal security detachment before being selected
21 as 1st Platoon's weapons squad leader; and
22 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton's element operated in the Jisr Diyala
23 sector and secured the Tuwaytha Nuclear Research Facility; and
24 WHEREAS, In October, S. Sgt. Horton volunteered to be Alpha
25 Section Leader, commanding his first Bradley Fighting Vehicle;
26 and
27 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton made the ultimate sacrifice of giving
28 his life for his country in the line of duty while serving near
29 Al Iskandariyah, Iraq, when an improvised vehicle-borne
30 explosive device exploded on May 21, 2004, while his convoy was
20070H1795B2448 - 2 -
1 stopped for another roadside bomb; and
2 WHEREAS, S. Sgt. Horton was posthumously awarded the Bronze
3 Star and Purple Heart.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Staff Sergeant Jeremy R. Horton Memorial Bridge.
7 (a) Designation.--The Powell Avenue Bridge on State Route
8 299 in Middlecreek MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP, ERIE COUNTY, <--
9 Pennsylvania, known as the Powell Avenue Bridge, is redesignated
10 the Staff Sergeant Jeremy R. Horton Memorial Bridge.
11 (b) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
12 maintain appropriate signs displaying the name Staff Sergeant
13 Jeremy R. Horton Memorial Bridge on both ends of the bridge.
14 Section 2. Effective date.
15 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
G10L87JS/20070H1795B2448 - 3 -