2009

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-033

BY SENATOR(S) Kopp, Harvey, Brophy, Kester, Cadman, Scheffel, Spence, Newell, King K., Penry, Renfroe, Schultheis, White, Bacon, Boyd, Carroll M., Foster, Gibbs, Groff, Heath, Hodge, Hudak, Isgar, Keller, Lundberg, Morse, Romer, Sandoval, Schwartz, Shaffer B., Tapia, Tochtrop, Williams; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Rice and McNulty, Priola, Kerr J., Looper, Acree, Apuan, Balmer, Baumgardner, Benefield, Bradford, Casso, Court, Curry, Ferrandino, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gardner B., Gardner C., Gerou, Green, Hullinghorst, Judd, Kagan, Kefalas, Kerr A., King S., Labuda, Lambert, Levy, Liston, Marostica, Massey, May, McCann, McFadyen, McKinley, Merrifield, Middleton, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Peniston, Pommer, Primavera, Riesberg, Roberts, Ryden, Scanlan, Schafer S., Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Tipton, Todd, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Weissmann, Carroll T..

CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF A PORTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 85 AS THE "NAVY SEAL DANNY PHILLIP DIETZ, JR.

WHEREAS, Born in Aurora, Colorado, in 1980, Danny Phillip Dietz, Jr., grew up in Littleton, Colorado, where he graduated from Heritage High School in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after graduation, Petty Officer Dietz enlisted in the Navy, volunteered for Navy SEAL training, which he completed in 2001, and was assigned to SEAL Team 2 out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he met his future wife Maria; and

WHEREAS, Though Petty Officer Dietz qualified for a coveted spot in the Navy's sniper school, he decided instead to pursue a specialty in communications because of the Navy's need for personnel to be trained in that specialty; and WHEREAS, While deployed in Afghanistan in June 2005, Petty Officer Dietz's four-man SEAL team was assigned to conduct reconnaissance operations around a remote village in the Hindu-Kush mountains for the purpose of locating a top enemy leader; and

WHEREAS, The SEAL team successfully infiltrated the mountains on June 28, 2005, but during their mission they came across three goat herders, whom the team allowed to go free; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after their encounter with the goat herders, a force of some 140 Taliban fighters appeared on a ridge above the SEAL team's position; and

WHEREAS, The SEAL team fought the Taliban forces for 45 minutes before the enemy split up in an attempt to outflank the vastly outnumbered SEALs; and

WHEREAS, To avoid being completely surrounded by the Taliban forces, three members of the SEAL team maneuvered downhill to find cover in a nearby forest; and

WHEREAS, Petty Officer Dietz, the SEAL team's communications specialist, knew that radio communications would be impossible from the team's position in the forest, and he valiantly fought his way to his radio near the top of the ridge, where he remained, under minimal cover and within five meters of enemy soldiers, in order to call for assistance; and

WHEREAS, From their position, Petty Officer Dietz's teammates were unable to provide him with cover fire as they faced a barrage of gun and rocket-propelled-grenade fire; and

WHEREAS, As he radioed for help, Petty Officer Dietz was shot at least five times and sustained significant shrapnel wounds but continued to radio for assistance while firing back against the advancing Taliban forces; and

WHEREAS, The sole surviving member of the SEAL team, Petty Officer , reported that Petty Officer Dietz was still firing when he was shot again and was mortally wounded; and

WHEREAS, After Petty Officer Dietz's death, the remaining members

PAGE 2-SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-033 of the SEAL team continued to attempt contacting support units; and

WHEREAS, As a measure of last resort, the team's leader, Lt. Mike Murphy, made his way into open terrain, willingly exposing himself to enemy fire, and managed to connect a cell phone call to headquarters before he was himself mortally wounded; and

WHEREAS, Though the SEALs succeeded in calling for aid, the MH-47 Chinook helicopter sent to support them was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, tragically killing all 16 troops on board; and

WHEREAS, Even after the helicopter was shot down, the fighting continued for two hours, eventually leaving Petty Officer Luttrell, who was seriously wounded in the battle, as the sole survivor of the mission; and

WHEREAS, June 28, 2005, marked the worst loss of life in SEAL history and the single worst day of American fatalities in the war in Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, Petty Officer Dietz's many decorations earned during the course of his duty include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Navy Good Conduct Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Expert Pistol and Expert Rifle Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Silver Star, the , and the Navy Cross; and

WHEREAS, Former Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter said of Petty Officer Dietz's heroism: "Petty Officer Dietz demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger . . . Demonstrating exceptional resolve and fully understanding the gravity of the situation and his responsibility to his teammates, Petty Officer Dietz fought valiantly against the numerically superior and positionally advantaged enemy force. Remaining behind in a hailstorm of enemy fire, Petty Officer Dietz was wounded by enemy fire. Despite his injuries, he bravely fought on, valiantly defending his teammates and himself in a harrowing gunfight, until he was mortally wounded . . . He gallantly gave his life for the cause of freedom"; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of

PAGE 3-SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-033 the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

(1) That the portion of State Highway 85, from its intersection with State Highway 470 to its intersection with Interstate 25, be renamed the "Navy SEAL Danny Phillip Dietz, Jr., Memorial Highway".

(2) That the Colorado Department of Transportation may accept and expend gifts, grants, donations, and federal funds for the purposes of the initial placement of signs to mark the designated portion of State Highway 85 as the "Navy SEAL Danny Phillip Dietz, Jr., Memorial Highway" and to erect a memorial plaque, which shall include reference to his highest military award, to be placed in an appropriate location.

(3) That the Colorado Department of Transportation may explore a cooperative agreement with the Boards of County Commissioners for Arapahoe County and Douglas County for the maintenance of the markings and the plaque for the "Navy SEAL Danny Phillip Dietz, Jr., Memorial Highway".

PAGE 4-SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-033 Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Petty Officer Dietz's wife, Maria Dietz, his parents Cindy and Danny Dietz, Sr., his sister Tiffany Bitz, his brother Eric Dietz, the Transportation Commission of Colorado, the Office of Transportation Safety in the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Boards of County Commissioners for Arapahoe County and Douglas County, and the acting Secretary of the Navy, B.J. Penn.

______Peter C. Groff Terrance D. Carroll PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES

______Karen Goldman Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES

PAGE 5-SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 09-033