House Passes Wentling Bill to Honor Crawford County Soldier
HARRISBURG – The House of Representatives unanimously passed on Wednesday legislation by Rep. Parke Wentling (R-Crawford/Erie/Lawrence/Mercer) to honor U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Douglas Mowris, who was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan in 2004.
House Bill 1411 would rename a section of State Route 18 between State Route 322 and the Crawford County/Mercer County line in West Fallowfield Township as the Staff Sgt. James Douglas Mowris Memorial Highway.
“Staff Sgt. Mowris served in the Army with distinction for 20 years until his untimely death in 2004,” Wentling said. “Renaming the highway in his honor will keep his memory alive and in the forefront of the minds of citizens.”
Mowris, a native of Adamsville, enlisted in the Army in 1984 after he graduated from Conneaut Lake High School. Over the course of his 20-year career, he served in numerous locations across the world, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Honduras, El Salvador, Kosovo, Cuba and Afghanistan with the Army and U.S. Army Reserves.
On Jan. 29, 2004, Mowris and seven other soldiers were killed in an explosion as they cleared an enemy weapons and ammunition cache west of Ghazni, Afghanistan. The father of two was 37.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Representative Parke Wentling
17th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
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