Bill Text: VA SJR48 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Staff Sergeant John Joseph Nichols, USA, Ret.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-01-24 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ48ER) [SJR48 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-SJR48-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant John Joseph Nichols, USA, Ret., a patriotic veteran who served the United States during World War II and the Korean War and who had been one of the last surviving members of a Buffalo Soldier regiment, died on March 20, 2021; and
WHEREAS, John Nichols grew up in Colorado Springs and learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age, working odd jobs in his community to help support his family; and
WHEREAS, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, John Nichols was inspired to volunteer for the United States Army and was assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, one of the original all-Black military units formed after the Civil War that came to be known as Buffalo Soldiers; and
WHEREAS, John Nichols deployed to North Africa as a staff sergeant and served with the 10th Cavalry Regiment in a support role; desirous to be of further service, he volunteered to serve in combat under General George S. Patton; and
WHEREAS, John Nichols was forced to accept a demotion in rank due to concerns that white soldiers would refuse to follow the orders of a Black officer; he ultimately served in combat in northern Italy as a private; and
WHEREAS, John Nichols continued to serve the nation during the Korean War, then deployed to Germany, and once again achieved the rank of staff sergeant prior to his retirement in 1964; and
WHEREAS, a talented linguist, John Nichols lived in Germany for nearly 20 years after his honorable discharge and served as an interpreter for English speakers in German courts; and
WHEREAS, after returning to the United States, John Nichols settled in the Commonwealth and became a charter member of The Buffalo Soldiers of Petersburg, a motorcycle club that encourages good citizenship and promotes the history and accomplishments of the Buffalo Soldier regiments; and
WHEREAS, John Nichols enjoyed fellowship and worship with the Midlothian community as a member of Victory Tabernacle Church, where he had been ordained as a minister; and
WHEREAS, John Nichols will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Marion Nichols; and numerous other family members, friends, and fellow veterans; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Staff Sergeant John Joseph Nichols, USA, Ret.; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Staff Sergeant John Joseph Nichols, USA, Ret., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
