WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SJ 285

Commemorating the life and legacy of Private Oscar Cleveland Hicks, USA.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Glen Sturtevant

Ceremonial Va. Senate resolution honoring Private Oscar Cleveland Hicks for WWII service and life; presents a copy to his family, memorializing his sacrifice with no policy effect.

Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ285ER)
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SJ 285

Summary: Senate Joint Resolution No. 285 (SJ285ER)

Purpose and intent

SJ285ER is a ceremonial, commemorative resolution recognizing and honoring the life and legacy of Private Oscar Cleveland Hicks, USA, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of his death. The resolution expresses respect from the General Assembly for his service in World War II and directs the Clerk of the Senate to present a copy to Hicks’s family.

Key provisions

  • The resolution notes Hicks’s biographical details and wartime service, highlighting his World War II actions and sacrifices.
  • It formally “commemorates the life and legacy” of Private Oscar Cleveland Hicks, USA, described as a courageous member of the United States Army and World War II liberator.
  • The Clerk of the Senate is instructed to prepare and present a copy of the resolution to Hicks’s family as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect.

Core action: a symbolic, public acknowledgment by both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly.

Background on Oscar Cleveland Hicks (as recounted in SJ285ER)

  • Born May 8, 1925, in Henrico County; raised in Hanover and Louisa Counties.
  • Worked on the family farm and for Virginia Dairy before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1943, at age 18.
  • Served in the 42nd Infantry Division (initial) and later the 79th Infantry Division during World War II.
  • Fought in the Normandy campaign, including the Battle of Cherbourg and the liberation of numerous French towns; wounded July 27, 1944 (first Purple Heart earned) and returned to combat.
  • Fought through France and into the Ardennes-Alsace Campaign; twice reported missing in action during the winter of 1944-45.
  • Killed in action on January 23, 1945, in Kaltenhouse, France.
  • Buried initially in Epinal, France; remains repatriated to Virginia in 1948 for burial in Hanover County (Lloyd Family Farms).
  • His story was largely unknown to later generations until family research and contact with Margaret L. Kersey Tiller in 2016 revealed many details.

Affected parties

  • Private Oscar Cleveland Hicks, USA (honored posthumously).
  • Hicks’s immediate and extended family (the resolution facilitates presenting a copy to them).
  • Virginia public and veterans/historical memory communities, as a matter of public record recognizing local WWII service.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduced: January 17, 2025.
  • Enrolled status: SJ285ER (as passed by both chambers).
  • Actions:
    • January 23, 2025 – Rules suspended; taken up for immediate consideration; agreed to by the Senate (voice vote) and by the House; received and laid on the Speaker’s table.
    • January 23, 2025 – Both chambers agreed to the resolution.
    • January 24, 2025 – Enrolled (SJ285ER completed).
  • The resolution is ceremonial in nature, with no fiscal or policy changes attached.

Practical impact

  • Officially records and publicizes the commemorative recognition of Hicks’s life and WWII service.
  • Provides a formal mechanism to honor Hicks’s memory and to share that recognition with his family.
  • No new laws, funding, or policy mandates result from SJ285ER; its effect is to memorialize and preserve the historical record.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.