House Resolution 101 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 101 BY GRASSLEY , AMOS JR. , ANDREWS , BAETH , BAGNIEWSKI , BARKER , BEHN , BERGAN , BLOM , BLOOMINGDALE , BODEN , BOSSMAN , BRADLEY , BROWN-POWERS , CISNEROS , COLLINS , COOLING , CROKEN , DETERMANN , DIEKEN , DUNWELL , EHLERT , FETT , FISHER , GAINES , GEARHART , GEHLBACH , GERHOLD , GJERDE , GOLDING , GOSA , GUSTOFF , HARRIS , HAYES , HENDERSON , HERMANSON , HOLT , HORA , INGELS , JACOBY , JAMES , JENEARY , JONES , JUDGE , C. JOHNSON , R. JOHNSON , KAUFMANN , KNIFF McCULLA , KONFRST , KRESSIG , KURTH , LARSON , LATHAM , LAWLER , LEVIN , LOHSE , LUNDGREN , MADISON , MATSON , McBURNEY , MEGGERS , A. MEYER , B. MEYER , MOHR , MOMMSEN , MOORE , NIELSEN , NORDMAN , OLSON , RAMIREZ , RINKER , SCHOLTEN , SHIPLEY , SIECK , SIEGRIST , SITZMANN , SMITH , SORENSEN , SRINIVAS , STONE , THOMPSON , THOMSON , TUREK , VONDRAN , WATKINS , WELDON , WENGRYN , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , WHEELER , WICHTENDAHL , WILBURN , WILLIAMS , WILLS , WILSON , WILZ , WINDSCHITL , WOOD , WULF , YOUNG , and ZABNER A Resolution honoring Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel 1 Howard, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, and 2 their families. 3 WHEREAS, approximately 1,800 Iowa Army National 4 Guard soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th 5 Infantry Division, were deployed to the Middle East in 6 May 2025 as part of a coalition fighting ISIS with up 7 to 250 of these soldiers deployed in Syria; and 8 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and 9 Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, of the 1st 10 -1- LSB 5877YH (4) 91 sc/jm 1/ 4

H.R. 101 Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat 1 Team, 34th Infantry Division, were killed in action 2 in an enemy attack on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in 3 Palmyra, Syria, and three other members of the Iowa 4 National Guard, whose names have not been released 5 due to Department of Defense military medical privacy 6 policies, were wounded in the attack; and 7 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard was 8 inspired by his grandfather’s service to join the Iowa 9 National Guard; and 10 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar was 11 inspired to serve his country at an early age; and 12 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard 13 completed basic training and advanced individual 14 training at Fort Benning in Georgia after graduating 15 from Marshalltown High School in 2014, served his 16 country for 11 years in the Iowa Army National Guard, 17 and is remembered for his commitment to excellence, 18 his humor, and his ability to bring out the best in 19 others; and 20 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar 21 enlisted in the United States Army upon graduating 22 from Dowling Catholic High School in 2019, served his 23 country for six years in the Iowa Army National Guard, 24 including serving deployments in Kosovo and Kuwait 25 before being deployed to Syria, and is remembered for 26 his smile and as an exemplary person, a family man, 27 and a source of pride for his parents, siblings, and 28 extended family; and 29 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard 30 -2- LSB 5877YH (4) 91 sc/jm 2/ 4

H.R. 101 is survived by his beloved wife, Arianna Howard; 1 his father, Brian, and his father’s wife, Andrea; 2 his mother, Misty Bunn, and his mother’s husband, 3 Jeff; his brother, Staff Sergeant James Roelsgard; 4 stepbrothers, Josh Bunn and his wife, Modestie, and 5 Travis Bunn; as well as his grandparents, William 6 Eugene and Pat Neville, Vicki Brindle, and Martin and 7 Ruth Roelsgard; and 8 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar 9 is survived by his parents, Hugo Torres and Isabel 10 Tovar; brothers, Samuel Torres and Daniel Torres; 11 sister, Krystal Torres, and her children, Castiel and 12 Christopher; paternal grandparents, Jose Torres and 13 Rita Garcia; girlfriend, Yareli Duran; and numerous 14 aunts, uncles, and cousins; and 15 WHEREAS, both were posthumously promoted to staff 16 sergeant in recognition of their sacrifice and service, 17 and are heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice and will 18 forever be remembered as exemplary members of the Iowa 19 National Guard; NOW THEREFORE, 20 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That 21 the House of Representatives pays respect to and honors 22 the lives of and the ultimate sacrifice paid by staff 23 sergeants William Nathaniel Howard and Edgar Brian 24 Torres-Tovar; and 25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of 26 Representatives recognizes the sacrifice of the three 27 Iowa National Guard soldiers injured in the December 28 13 attack in Palmyra, Syria, and thanks them for their 29 service in protecting freedom; and 30 -3- LSB 5877YH (4) 91 sc/jm 3/ 4

H.R. 101 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of 1 Representatives authorizes and directs a copy of this 2 resolution be sent to the families of staff sergeants 3 Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard 4 in recognition of their service to their country and 5 of the great sacrifices made by the families of Staff 6 Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and Staff Sergeant 7 Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar. 8 -4- LSB 5877YH (4) 91 sc/jm 4/ 4