REFERENCE TITLE: twentieth anniversary; death; Lori Piestewa

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

2023

HCR 2047

Introduced by

Representatives Peshlakai: Austin, Bliss, Cano, Carbone, Contreras P, Gillette, Grantham, Griffin, Gutierrez, Livingston, Ortiz, Pawlik, Quiñonez, Seaman, Sun, Terech, Travers

A concurrent Resolution

honoring and remembering United States army specialist lori ann piestewa on the twentieth anniversary of her death.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Whereas, Lori Ann Piestewa, a member of the Hopi Tribe, was born in Tuba City, Arizona, on December 14, 1979 to Terry Piestewa, a Hopi Native American, and Priscilla Baca, who is of Mexican descent; and

Whereas, Lori Piestewa was given the name Qotsa-Hon-Mana (kotsa hon mana), which translates to White Bear Girl, with her surname, Piestewa, deriving from the Hopi language root meaning "water pooled in the desert by a hard rain"; and

Whereas, those who knew her described Lori Piestewa as having a strong sense of duty to the people around her, always doing what was right and having a strong ethical and moral code; and

Whereas, in March 2001, Lori Piestewa enlisted in the United States Army and left for basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. She was assigned to the 507th Maintenance Company in Fort Bliss, Texas, where she rose to the rank of Private First Class; and

Whereas, on March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq as part of the global war on terror. As this was the first war in which American women could actively participate in combat units, Lori Piestewa was deployed to fight for her country as part of the 507th Maintenance Company; and

Whereas, three days later, on March 23, Lori Piestewa's convoy ran into an ambush and came under a torrent of fire that included a rocket-propelled grenade that caused her fatal crash. Lori Piestewa became the first Native American Woman to die in combat while serving in the United States military and the first woman in the United States military to be killed in the Iraq War; and

Whereas, Lori Piestewa left behind her parents and two children.  Her son, Brandon Whiterock, explains that the Hopi people strive for harmony, so her final moments were not a violent struggle for survival, and there is some comfort, however small, in knowing that Lori Piestewa died trying to help her friends escape; and

Whereas, Lori Piestewa was awarded the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal and was promoted posthumously to Specialist for the bravery, dedication and fearlessness she showed while serving her country; and

Whereas, Lori Piestewa's family has joined other Gold Star Families to mark the twentieth anniversary of the ambush at Nasiriyah on March 23rd this year with the Piestewa Fallen Heroes Memorial with a sunrise ceremony to honor our fallen heroes.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

That the Members of the Legislature honor United States Army Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa and the Piestewa Fallen Heroes Memorial and encourage the citizens of Arizona to commemorate the tremendous bravery and patriotism of individuals such as she who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.