HR215

WHEREAS, BRIAN KOLFAGE was raised in Waikiki, Hawaii, and upon graduating from Kaimuki High School in 1999, he enlisted in the United States Air Force; and

WHEREAS, on September 11, 2004, while on his second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a 107mm rocket exploded 3 feet away from BRIAN KOLFAGE, throwing him several feet into the air. 36 hours after being struck by the blast, he was finally airlifted to Walter Reed Medical Center; and

WHEREAS, because of the mortar explosion, BRIAN KOLFAGE lost both of his legs and his dominant right hand; and

WHEREAS, BRIAN KOLFAGE was awarded the Purple Heart Medal and to this day, he is the most severely wounded U.S. Airman alive to survive any war; and

WHEREAS, after being fitted with multiple prosthetics and enduring endless physical therapy sessions, BRIAN KOLFAGE walked out of the Walter Reed Medical Center just 11 months after being injured; and

WHEREAS, prior to this, no one with his level of amputation had been able to walk independently; and

WHEREAS, upon leaving Walter Reed, BRIAN KOLFAGE continued his service in the Air Force with the 355th Security Forces Squadron at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona; and

WHEREAS, BRIAN KOLFAGE further served his community through advising Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' Veterans Advisory Committee and was even invited as the Congresswoman's special guest at the 2012 Presidential State of the Union address; and

WHEREAS, BRIAN KOLFAGE later retired from the military to enroll in the University of Arizona's competitive School of Architecture where he also received one of the most prestigious military scholarships, the Pat Tillman Scholar Award, and rose to the top of his class with a 3.8 overall GPA; and

WHEREAS, BRIAN KOLFAGE continued to visit newly-wounded veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, giving them a new hope for their futures; and

WHEREAS, in 2014, the Wounded Warrior Project honored him with the George C. Lang Award for Courage, not only for his fearlessness, but also his selfless mentorship of other wounded veterans; and

WHEREAS, BRIAN KOLFAGE currently lives by the ocean in a fully-accessible smart home in Florida built for him by the Gary Sinise Foundation, where he stays busy with his family while managing different business ventures; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that this body humbly recognizes the sacrifices that this local boy made for our country and extends to BRIAN KOLFAGE its warmest aloha and best wishes for his continued success in all future endeavors as he continues to make Hawaii proud.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Honoring Brian Kolfage

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	215
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII