[Filed with Secretary of State July 9, 2015.]
ACR 54, Wood. Kevin R. Ebbert SO1 Navy SEAL Memorial Highway.
This measure would designate a specified portion of Highway 101 in the County of Humboldt near the City of Arcata as the Kevin R. Ebbert SO1 Navy SEAL Memorial Highway. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
WHEREAS, Kevin R. Ebbert was born on January 23, 1980, grew up in Arcata, California, and graduated from Arcata High School. He enjoyed the outdoors, including backpacking, rafting, and later Ultimate Frisbee. He also had a passion for music and reading. Kevin graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a bachelor’s degree in music, receiving honors in musical composition; and
WHEREAS, Kevin was a dedicated student of life and was known for researching a topic thoroughly. He was always true to his word and lived by his values without imposing them on others. Kevin was known as a gentle soul who was tough as nails, but who grew into a caring man who lived by his ideals and was committed to helping others; and
WHEREAS, Kevin later became an active duty Navy SEAL and corpsman. He hoped to build on his training as a corpsman to pursue a career as a physician. On December 31, 2011, Kevin married Ursula (Jansson) Ebbert, also from Arcata, California. The couple shared a love of the outdoors, had recently purchased their first home, and enjoyed many family gatherings; and
WHEREAS, While leading his element on Saturday, November 24, 2012, in support of stability operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan, a mountainous area in the center of the country, Kevin’s team was ambushed from above. Kevin left the security of cover to radio for air support. In doing so he was killed by a sniper. Kevin’s actions allowed ground and air personnel to support and retrieve the remaining team members with no other loss of life; and
WHEREAS, Kevin was a member of Naval Special Warfare Unit Group 2, on his second deployment to Afghanistan, and was six weeks from returning to the United States. He had been accepted at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he was to finish his training as a corpsman and become a physician. During his first deployment, he held medical clinics for Afghan villagers and found that work to be very rewarding. During this last deployment, Kevin spent his off-duty time on base serving in the medical center alongside doctors and surgeons. He had also reached out to Rotary International and Doctors Without Borders for opportunities to serve in clinics abroad; and
WHEREAS, Kevin was highly decorated by the United States Navy. He received all of the following awards: two Bronze Stars with “V” Device, the Purple Heart, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, two Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terror Service Medal, two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, the NATO ISAF Medal, the Expert Rifle Marksmanship Medal, and the Expert Pistol Marksmanship Medal; and
WHEREAS, A memorial service was held to honor Kevin’s life on Sunday, December 9, 2012, at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. Kevin is survived by his wife, Ursula Ebbert, his mother Charlie Jordan and sister Samantha Ebbert Martinez, as well as stepsisters Amy Funk and Kate Renner, stepfather Mark Ritz, mother-in-law Susan Jansson, father-in-law Erik Jansson, and grandfathers Richard Ebbert and James Jordan. Kevin was a second generation Navy SEAL, following in the footsteps of his father Jeffrey Ebbert (deceased) and his uncle James Ebbert; and
WHEREAS, Designating a portion of Highway 101 in the County of Humboldt with memorial signs for Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Kevin R. Ebbert as the Kevin R. Ebbert SO1 Navy SEAL Memorial Highway would be appropriate for a local American hero; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates that portion of Highway 101 in the County of Humboldt from post mile 85.35 to post mile 86.28 near the City of Arcata as the Kevin R. Ebbert SO1 Navy SEAL Memorial Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of erecting appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.
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