A house RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE GLENN OHANESIAN ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HIM A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBraTION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are delighted to learn that Glenn Ohanesian will celebrate his one hundredth birthday on May 20, 2023; and

Whereas, born on May 20, 1923, in the first quarter of the twentieth century, he has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the first quarter of the twenty-first century; and

Whereas, born in New York City, Mr. Ohanesian is the son of Kircor and Frances Louise Cunningham Ohanesian, both of whom volunteered and served in the United States Army during World War I; and

Whereas, his own military career began when he graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, and served as navigator from 1942 until 1945 on seven different Merchant Marine ships carrying ammunition, supplies, and men in convoys through dangerous, mined waters, avoiding German and Japanese torpedoes and air attacks in the dark days of World War II; and

Whereas, Mr. Ohanesian recalls seeing the eyes of a Japanese kamikaze pilot as the pilot nose dived over his ship narrowly missing it and struck another ship ahead of his. It was blown up and sank, and many brave Merchant Marines lost their lives. He also remembers harrowing storms at sea when ships went down and men were swept overboard. In one such storm, his ship rolled over forty degrees and then righted itself. Five more degrees would generally cause a ship to roll over and go down; and

Whereas, he traversed the Atlantic Ocean seven times and the Pacific twice; served in the North Atlantic; took part in North African landings, Italian landings, and an attack on Okinawa, Japan; and survived six kamikaze attacks. Mr. Ohanesian recalls one unique Pacific night when the air, the sea, and humankind were at peace. In the stillness, he navigated by stars with no moon. Thousands of stars appeared in red, blue, gold, and white, a stunning, breathtaking sight he always carried with him; and

Whereas, he was commissioned in the United States Navy and served on active duty from 1950 to 1952, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and remained in the Retired Navy Reserve; and

Whereas, in civilian life, Mr. Ohanesian worked at New York Telephone Company for thirty-seven years, rising up the ladder to an administrative level and retiring in 1985; and

Whereas, he has suffered great losses in the deaths of his first wife Muriel Verity, his second wife Olga Fedun, his daughter Alexis, and his brother Lieutenant Colonel Victor Ohanesian, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1967; and

Whereas, Mr. Ohanesian has been blessed with Beatrice, his beloved wife of thirty-seven years, his son Greg Ohanesian, an attorney in Bennettsville, and his stepson John Fedun. His children have blessed him with the affection of four loving grandchildren: Brooks, Ann-Marie, Roseann LaIacono, and his namesake, Glenn Victor Ohanesian, an attorney in Myrtle Beach. He has had the joy of seeing the continuation of his strong family legacy in his five great-grandchildren; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to honor Glenn Ohanesian at the celebration of his one hundredth birthday and join with his family and friends in congratulating him on reaching this extraordinary milestone.  Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Glenn Ohanesian on the occasion of his one hundredth birthday and wish him a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued health and happiness.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Glenn Ohanesian.

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