SR 101 (LSB 5877XS (9) 91)

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 Howard, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, and their families.

   WHEREAS, approximately 1,800 Iowa Army National Guard soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, were deployed to the Middle East in May 2025 as part of a coalition fighting ISIS with up to 250 of these soldiers deployed in Syria; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, of the 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, were killed in action in an enemy attack on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria, and three other members of the Iowa National Guard, whose names have not been released due to Department of Defense military medical privacy policies, were wounded in the attack; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard was inspired by his grandfather’s service to join the Iowa National Guard; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar was inspired to serve his country at an early age; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard completed basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Benning in Georgia after graduating from Marshalltown High School in 2014, served his country for 11 years in the Iowa Army National Guard, and is remembered for his commitment to excellence, his humor, and his ability to bring out the best in others; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar enlisted in the United States Army upon graduating from Dowling Catholic High School in 2019, served his country for six years in the Iowa Army National Guard, including serving deployments in Kosovo and Kuwait before being deployed to Syria, and is remembered for his smile and as an exemplary person, a family man, and a source of pride for his parents, siblings, and extended family; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard is survived by his beloved wife, Arianna Howard; his father, Brian, and his father’s wife, Andrea; his mother, Misty Bunn, and his mother’s husband, Jeff; his brother, Staff Sergeant James Roelsgard; stepbrothers, Josh Bunn and his wife, Modestie, and Travis Bunn; as well as his grandparents, William Eugene and Pat Neville, Vicki Brindle, and Martin and Ruth Roelsgard; and
   WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar is survived by his parents, Hugo Torres and Isabel Tovar; brothers, Samuel Torres and Daniel Torres; sister, Krystal Torres, and her children, Castiel and Christopher; paternal grandparents, Jose Torres and Rita Garcia; girlfriend, Yareli Duran; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins; and
   WHEREAS, both were posthumously promoted to staff sergeant in recognition of their sacrifice and service, and are heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice and will forever be remembered as exemplary members of the Iowa National Guard; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate pays respect to and honors the lives of and the ultimate sacrifice paid by staff sergeants William Nathaniel Howard and Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate recognizes the sacrifice of the three Iowa National Guard soldiers injured in the December 13 attack in Palmyra, Syria, and thanks them for their service in protecting freedom; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate authorizes and directs a copy of this resolution be sent to the families of staff sergeants Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathaniel Howard in recognition of their service to their country and of the great sacrifices made by the families of Staff Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and Staff Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar.