Senate Resolution 101 - Introduced SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 101 BY KLIMESH , ALONS , BENNETT , BISIGNANO , BLAKE , BOUSSELOT , CAMPBELL , COSTELLO , DAWSON , DICKEY , DONAHUE , DOTZLER , DREY , DRISCOLL , EVANS , GARRETT , GREEN , GRUENHAGEN , GUTH , HARDMAN , KNOX , KOELKER , KRAAYENBRINK , LOFGREN , McCLINTOCK , PETERSEN , PIKE , QUIRMBACH , REICHMAN , ROWLEY , ROZENBOOM , SALMON , SCHULTZ , SHIPLEY , SINCLAIR , SIRES , STAED , SWEENEY , TAYLOR , TOWNSEND , TRONE GARRIOTT , WAHLS , WARME , WEBSTER , WEINER , WESTRICH , WHITVER , WINCKLER , ZIMMER , and ZUMBACH 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 Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat 11 Team, 34th Infantry Division, were killed in action 12 in an enemy attack on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in 13 Palmyra, Syria, and three other members of the Iowa 14 National Guard, whose names have not been released 15 due to Department of Defense military medical privacy 16 policies, were wounded in the attack; and 17 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard was 18 inspired by his grandfather’s service to join the Iowa 19 -1- LSB 5877XS (9) 91 sc/jm 1/ 3

S.R. 101 National Guard; and 1 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar was 2 inspired to serve his country at an early age; and 3 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard 4 completed basic training and advanced individual 5 training at Fort Benning in Georgia after graduating 6 from Marshalltown High School in 2014, served his 7 country for 11 years in the Iowa Army National Guard, 8 and is remembered for his commitment to excellence, 9 his humor, and his ability to bring out the best in 10 others; and 11 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar 12 enlisted in the United States Army upon graduating 13 from Dowling Catholic High School in 2019, served his 14 country for six years in the Iowa Army National Guard, 15 including serving deployments in Kosovo and Kuwait 16 before being deployed to Syria, and is remembered for 17 his smile and as an exemplary person, a family man, 18 and a source of pride for his parents, siblings, and 19 extended family; and 20 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard 21 is survived by his beloved wife, Arianna Howard; 22 his father, Brian, and his father’s wife, Andrea; 23 his mother, Misty Bunn, and his mother’s husband, 24 Jeff; his brother, Staff Sergeant James Roelsgard; 25 stepbrothers, Josh Bunn and his wife, Modestie, and 26 Travis Bunn; as well as his grandparents, William 27 Eugene and Pat Neville, Vicki Brindle, and Martin and 28 Ruth Roelsgard; and 29 WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar 30 -2- LSB 5877XS (9) 91 sc/jm 2/ 3

S.R. 101 is survived by his parents, Hugo Torres and Isabel 1 Tovar; brothers, Samuel Torres and Daniel Torres; 2 sister, Krystal Torres, and her children, Castiel and 3 Christopher; paternal grandparents, Jose Torres and 4 Rita Garcia; girlfriend, Yareli Duran; and numerous 5 aunts, uncles, and cousins; and 6 WHEREAS, both were posthumously promoted to staff 7 sergeant in recognition of their sacrifice and service, 8 and are heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice and will 9 forever be remembered as exemplary members of the Iowa 10 National Guard; NOW THEREFORE, 11 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate pays 12 respect to and honors the lives of and the ultimate 13 sacrifice paid by staff sergeants William Nathaniel 14 Howard and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar; and 15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate recognizes 16 the sacrifice of the three Iowa National Guard soldiers 17 injured in the December 13 attack in Palmyra, Syria, 18 and thanks them for their service in protecting 19 freedom; and 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate authorizes 21 and directs a copy of this resolution be sent to the 22 families of staff sergeants Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar 23 and William Nathaniel Howard in recognition of their 24 service to their country and of the great sacrifices 25 made by the families of Staff Sergeant William 26 Nathaniel Howard and Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian 27 Torres-Tovar. 28 -3- LSB 5877XS (9) 91 sc/jm 3/ 3