2001 -- H 6360
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LC02993
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2001
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
HONORING HAROLD HAMPTON BROWN, JR. FOR HIS HEROISM AND DEDICATION TO HIS COUNTRY WHILE SERVING WITH THE MERCHANT MARINES DURING WORLD WAR II
WHEREAS, Harold Hampton Brown, Jr. of Pequot Avenue, Oakland Beach in Warwick was an interesting, athletic young man who loved motorcycles, guitars, his mom's chili and most of all, horses; and
WHEREAS, As a young man in his 20's Harold spent most of his free time with his girlfriend. After Pearl Harbor, Harold tried enlisting into the armed forces but was rejected because of an injury suffered in the late 1930's; and
WHEREAS, Determined to serve his country, Harold joined the merchant marines. The day before embarking on his first mission from Fall River on the merchant vessel, The Atwater, Harold asked his girlfriend to marry him; and
WHEREAS, The Atwater arrived safely in Norfolk, Virginia, was loaded with coal, and began making its way back to Fall River. Outside the port of Norfolk, U-boat -552 waited. Without guns of her own, the Atwater was shelled for 45 minutes before slipping beneath the waves, nine miles off the Virginia coast. Harold made it into a lifeboat with a few other men. In the dark, the U-boat approached and poured machine gunfire upon them. Of a crew of 29, only 3 men survived. Harold had been engaged for four days and in the service only three. He was twenty-four years old when he died; and
WHEREAS, The Atwater incident was later to become known as the worst maritime massacre of World War II; and
WHEREAS, Harold Brown is a true American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby extends our heartfelt thanks to Harold Hampton Brown, Jr., for his bravery and commitment to defending freedom for all; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Brown family.