ACR 135, as introduced, Patterson. Specialist Manuel Joaquin Holguin Memorial Highway.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 245 in the County of Tulare as the Specialist Manuel Joaquin Holguin Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering the cost, to erect those signs.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, United States Army Specialist Manuel Joaquin
2Holguin was born August 29, 1984, in Visalia, California, and was
3the eldest of two sons of Manuel and Lydia Holguin. His brother
4Javier was two years younger; and
5WHEREAS, Joaquin, as he was known to his family, grew up
6in the small foothill community of Elderwood, California, and
7attended public schools in Woodlake, California, graduating from
8Woodlake Union High School in June 2002; and
9WHEREAS, Joaquin was an athlete, playing soccer and baseball
10from the age of 5 years through high school. Living in the country,
11he also became knowledgeable in the use and safe handling of
P2 1firearms and by the age of 12 years, he passed his hunter safety
2course and was proficient with a 12-gauge shotgun; and
3WHEREAS, In the fall of 2001, Joaquin decided to join the
4United States Army, following in the footsteps of his grandfather
5and uncles who had served in the United States Army during World
6War II and the Vietnam War; and
7WHEREAS, During his senior year of high school, Joaquin was
8admitted into the United States Army’s early enlistment program,
9officially enlisting upon graduation from high school for a
10three-year commitment on November 11, 2002, and was sent to
11Fort Benning, Georgia, for boot camp; and
12WHEREAS, Joaquin remained at Fort Benning, Georgia, for
13advanced infantry training, graduating in March 2003 with a
14designation as a mortarman. He also earned an award for being
15the highest marksman with a rifle in his platoon and would go on
16to continually score as an expert with a rifle and mortar; and
17WHEREAS, Joaquin was assigned as a gunner and driver to the
182nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 1st
19Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany. His division left
20Germany for Iraq in April 2003 and was assigned to an area of
21southern Baghdad operating out of Camp Muleskinner, but also
22saw action in Karbala and Al-Kut; and
23WHEREAS, His division would remain in Iraq for 15 months
24before returning to Germany, during which time, in this his first
25tour of duty, Joaquin received the Combat Infantry Badge and
26earned the rank of Specialist; and
27WHEREAS, Joaquin received orders that his active duty
28commitment was being extended. In November 2005, his brigade
29was sent back to the area of southern Baghdad Iraq for a second
30one-year tour of duty, and Joaquin volunteered to be part of the
31advanced detachment whose job was to get things in order for the
32arrival of the remainder of the brigade; and
33WHEREAS, On July 15, 2006, his unit, doing mounted and foot
34patrols, responded to an explosion at a marketplace, set up a
35perimeter, and began to receive small arms fire. During the
36firefight, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated, killing
37Joaquin and severely wounding another soldier; and
38WHEREAS, Joaquin died one month before his 22nd birthday
39and three months before his tour of duty would have been
40completed; and
P3 1WHEREAS, Joaquin was awarded the Purple Heart and the
2Bronze Star Medals for his active military service in the United
3States Army for his actions, not only on that day, but for the entire
4time he spent in Iraq; and
5WHEREAS, Joaquin was also awarded the Army Commendation
6Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal,
7the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon,
8the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the
9Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the
10Presidential Unit Citation Award for his two tours of duty in Iraq;
11now, therefore, be it
12Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
13thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
14portion of State Highway Route 245 (Millwood Drive) from
15Avenue 364 to Avenue 398 near the town of Elderwood, in the
16County of Tulare, as the Specialist Manuel Joaquin Holguin
17Memorial Highway to honor Specialist Holguin’s dedication and
18sacrifice on behalf of his country; and be it further
19Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
20to determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the
21signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this
22special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
23sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it
24further
25Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
26of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
27for appropriate distribution.
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