SJR41 Summary

• Recognizes and honors the life of retired U.S. Army Colonel Robert Lewis Howard, a native of Opelika, Alabama, who died on December 23, 2009, at age 70.

• Acknowledges Colonel Howard as the most decorated American soldier in history, including the Congressional Medal of Honor, two Distinguished Service Crosses, the Silver Star, four Bronze Stars, and eight Purple Hearts.

• Details his heroic Medal of Honor action involving a rescue mission where he crawled through enemy fire while wounded and weaponless to retrieve his critically wounded platoon leader and rallied his platoon for over three hours.

• Notes he was nominated for the Medal of Honor three separate times within a 13-month period for extraordinary heroism, making him the only soldier in history nominated three times for the nation's highest honor.

• Celebrates his 36-year military career including five tours of duty in the Green Berets' Special Operations Group during the Vietnam War, and his subsequent educational achievements including degrees in Business Administration, Police Administration, and Public Administration.