A JOINT MEMORIAL
EXPRESSING THE CONDOLENCE OF THE
LEGISLATURE UPON THE PASSING OF LOUIS RICHARD ROCCO.
WHEREAS, Louis Richard Rocco
was born on November 19, 1938 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The firstborn of eight siblings, he grew up
in rough and poor surroundings in the valley; and
WHEREAS, he had a very eventful
life, and in 1974, he became a "south valley hero"; and
WHEREAS, his parents signed a
waiver so that he could join the United States army at the age of seventeen,
and the military became his career.
Eventually, he retired after twenty-two years as chief warrant officer and
after serving two tours of duty in Vietnam, in 1965 through 1966 and again in
1969 through 1970, and another tour of duty during operation desert storm in
1991 through 1992; and
WHEREAS, in 1974, Warrant
Officer Louis Richard Rocco received the congressional medal of honor from President
Gerald R. Ford, the first medal of honor presented by President Ford to a
living Hispanic soldier for "unparalleled bravery in the face of enemy
fire and his performance far above and beyond the call of duty"; and
WHEREAS, he was awarded that
medal for his act of bravery in South Vietnam, when he volunteered to assist a
medical team whose mission it was to evacuate eight severely wounded soldiers,
and, under intense enemy fire and disregarding his own safety, he identified
and placed accurate suppressive fire on the enemy as the rescue aircraft
descended toward the landing zone. The
team's helicopter crashed, but Rocco rescued his comrades, carrying them to
safety through twenty meters of hostile enemy fire; and
WHEREAS, he himself was
severely wounded, suffering burns over most of his body, a fractured wrist and
hip and a severely bruised back, and it was two days before rescuers were able
to land and take the survivors in for medical help; and
WHEREAS, medal of honor
recipients are humbled by the realization that they are symbolizing many, many
brave soldiers who make uncommon sacrifices on the field of battle, and Rocco's
personal condition for accepting the honor was that he would spend the rest of
his life and energy helping those veterans and their children who were less
fortunate than he; and
WHEREAS, he kept his promise by
returning to New Mexico, where he became a constant, positive force in the
lives of troubled veterans in the years following the war; and from Costilla to
Las Cruces, many New Mexico veterans were in some way touched or helped by
Louis Richard Rocco; and
WHEREAS, Louis Richard Rocco
was the first Hispanic Vietnam veteran appointed to serve as director of the
New Mexico veterans' service commission; and
WHEREAS, he established the New
Mexico Vietnam veterans outreach center, helped pass laws enabling veterans to
attend state schools without having to pay for tuition or books, requested that
veterans centers come into New Mexico and service our veterans, helped acquire
Tingley hospital in Truth or Consequences and turned it into an assisted-living
and nursing home for veterans, and established "vet help" for
homeless veterans and their families; and
WHEREAS, Louis Richard's own
life experiences gave him the patience and wisdom to be a "big
brother" and to show concern for youths who were experiencing what he had
been through as a youngster on the streets and in gangs and to encourage them
to take a better road than the one he had traveled in his youth;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that condolences be extended to the
family and friends of Louis Richard Rocco, a loving and devoted New Mexican
who, before he died of cancer on October 31, 2002, fulfilled his promise to
dedicate his life to helping veterans; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, if
a state park is designated in Angel Fire, it be named the Louis Richard Rocco
state park.