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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, VETERAN AFFAIRS AND CONSUMER PROTECTION 12/7/2023-REPORTED OUT TO THE FLOOR 11/21/2023-REPORTED OUT TO THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND JUDICIARY BILL NO. 35-0109 Thirty-Fifth Legislature of the Virgin Islands July 18, 2023 An Act honoring and commending the late Corporal Kendall Emanuel George posthumously for his service as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War and for making the ultimate sacrifice to preserve democracy and to keep America and his Virgin Islands homeland safe; naming Route 107 from Coral Bay to Lameshur Bay, St. John “Kendall Emanual George Drive” South and appropriating $10,000 to the Department of Public Works for signage at Kendall Emanuel George Drive; and for other related purposes PROPOSED BY: Senators Dwayne M. DeGraff and Ray Fonseca WHEREAS, Kendall Emanuel George was born to Ina A. Matthias George and St. 1 Clair E. George on November 11, 1942, on the island of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; and 2 WHEREAS, Kendall resided on St. Thomas with his family until the age of five and 3 then relocated to St. John; and 4 WHEREAS, he grew up with his parents, an elder sister, and a younger brother and 5 spent the greater part of his childhood to early teen years in the Hard Labor area of Coral Bay, 6 St. John; and 7 WHEREAS, Kendall attended the Horace Mann Elementary School and the Benjamin 8 Franklin Elementary School, later named “Guy H. Benjamin Elementary School”; and 9 WHEREAS, his freshman and sophomore years were spent at the Charlotte Amalie High 10 School on St. Thomas. He relocated to New York, where he completed his junior and senior 11 2 years and graduated from the Manhattan Vocational Technical High School in the field of 1 machine technology; and 2 WHEREAS, along with a few of his friends and family members, Kendall decided to 3 join the United States Armed Forces; and 4 WHEREAS, Kendall was called to active duty in Marine Corps in August 1963 and was 5 sent to Paris Island, South Carolina, to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot for Boot Camp training. 6 He later went to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, for advanced training; and 7 WHEREAS, before being deployed, he was also stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 8 where he participated in many sports; and 9 WHEREAS, the sports Kendall loved and excelled in included weightlifting, martial 10 arts, softball, and wrestling, which he continued after being deployed to Okinawa Japan Marine 11 Base; and 12 WHEREAS, after a brief furlough at home with family and friends, Kendall received 13 orders to Supply Company Force Logistic Support Group 1 Battalion United States Marine 14 Corps Vietnam, Sup Co FLSG 1 BN USMC VIETNAM, where he served in the rank of 15 Corporal; and 16 WHEREAS, Kendall was killed by enemy fire in the vicinity of Chu Lai, Vietnam, on 17 December 2, 1966; and 18 WHEREAS, Kendall's remains were escorted back to St. John, Virgin Islands, and laid 19 to rest in the Emmaus Moravian Church Cemetery in Coral Bay, St. John; and 20 WHEREAS, Kendall is survived by his sister, Geneva I. Paris, and brother, Henry A. 21 Powell; and 22 WHEREAS, approximately 1,600 Virgin Islanders served in the Vietnam War, and a 23 documented 16 servicemen gave the ultimate sacrifice; and 24 3 WHEREAS, it is only fitting that the Legislature of the Virgin Islands commemorates 1 the service, heroism, and ultimate sacrifice made by the late Corporal Kendall Emanuel George 2 to preserve democracy and to keep Americans and his Virgin Islands homeland safe; Now 3 Therefore, 4 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 5 SECTION 1. The Legislature of the Virgin Islands, on behalf of the people of the Virgin 6 Islands, honors and commends the late Corporal Kendall Emanuel George posthumously for 7 his service in the Marine Corps in the Vietnam War, his heroism, and for making the ultimate 8 sacrifice to preserve democracy and to keep America and his Virgin Islands homeland safe and 9 names Route 107 from Coral Bay to Lameshur Bay on St. John, also known as the South Shore 10 Road, “Kendall Emanual George Drive”. 11 SECTION 2. The sum of $10,000 is appropriated from the General Fund of the Treasury 12 of the Government of the Virgin Islands in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, to the 13 Department of Public Works for signage at Kendall Emanual George Drive. 14 SECTION 3. The President of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, or the President’s 15 designee, shall prepare and present a perma plaque copy of this act to the family of the late 16 Corporal Kendall Emanuel George, or the family’s designee, at an appropriate ceremony. 17 BILL SUMMARY 18 This bill honors the late Corporal Kendall Emmanuel George posthumously for his 19 service in the Vietnam War and for making the ultimate sacrifice to preserve freedom and to 20 keep his homeland safe and names Route 107 from Coral Bay to Lameshur Bay, St. John, in 21 his memory. The bill also appropriates $10,000 for road signs. 22 BR23-0385/May 10, 2023/YLT 23