2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 298

Commending Felix Maurizio.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 2025

WHEREAS, Felix Maurizio, a patriotic member of the Greatest Generation who served the nation during World War II and a highly admired member of the community in Norfolk, celebrated his 100th birthday in 2025; and

WHEREAS, Felix “Mo” Maurizio was born on February 21, 1925, and grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts; he proudly enlisted in the United States Navy in August 1943 and gained his lifelong nickname shortly thereafter, when an officer struggled to pronounce his last name; and

WHEREAS, Mo Maurizio was assigned to amphibious warfare training at what was then known as Amphibious Naval Base, Little Creek, in Virginia Beach; he deployed to Europe and landed some of the first troops on the beaches of Normandy, France, during the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944; and

WHEREAS, Mo Maurizio was reassigned to the Pacific Theater of World War II and landed United States Marines on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, and on Okinawa the following April; and

WHEREAS, after the end of the war, Mo Maurizio was among the crew of the first ship to carry occupation troops to Japan, the USS Talladega, and was helping unload troops and equipment at the Port of Yokohama while the terms of Japanese surrender were signed on the nearby USS Missouri; and

WHEREAS, returning to the United States, Mo Maurizio served on recruiting duty in Massachusetts, then taught long-range navigation to officers and enlisted personnel in Norfolk; he retired from the United States Navy on June 6, 1966, 22 years to the day after the Normandy landings; and

WHEREAS, Mo Maurizio pursued a long career with the United States Postal Service, and June 6 continued to be one of the most important days of his life, with his retirement from the agency falling on June 6, 2005; and

WHEREAS, outside of his career, Mo Maurizio is a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees and Norfolk Tides baseball teams, the Washington Commanders football team, and any sports team on which his beloved children and grandchildren played; his favorite time of the year is strawberry season, and he relishes every opportunity to teach loved ones how to pick and preserve the best berries; and

WHEREAS, on June 6, 2024, Mo Maurizio returned to Normandy, France, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and was honored for his contributions to the defense of the free world; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Felix Maurizio hereby be commended for his service to the Commonwealth and the nation on the occasion of his 100th birthday; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Felix Maurizio as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for his lifetime of achievements.