2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26101601D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 139

Offered February 16, 2026

Celebrating the life of Command Sergeant Major Mitchell L. Rubenstein, USA, Ret.

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Patron—Reid

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WHEREAS, Command Sergeant Major Mitchell L. Rubenstein, USA, Ret., of Edinburg, a distinguished veteran and a highly admired former law-enforcement officer, died on November 4, 2025; and

WHEREAS, a native of New York, Mitchell Rubenstein joined the United States Army in December 1980 and completed extensive training for airborne operations, military police work, patrol dog handling, and explosives detection dog handling; and

WHEREAS, Mitchell Rubenstein was assigned to the 188th Military Police (MP) Company at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and deployed to Grenada in support of Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 as an explosives detection dog handler; and

WHEREAS, Mitchell Rubenstein finished his active duty career as a sergeant, then joined the United States Army Reserve in June 1984; he was assigned to the 812th MP Company in New York and became a squad leader after his promotion to staff sergeant; and

WHEREAS, Mitchell Rubenstein next served as a drill sergeant with the 78th Training Division in New Jersey, where he was promoted to sergeant first class and received the 1989 Iron Mike Award for his outstanding achievements; and

WHEREAS, Mitchell Rubenstein returned to the MP Corps in September 1990 as a member of the 306th MP Battalion; he was subsequently reassigned to the 800th MP Brigade as a first sergeant and the 340th MP Company as a master sergeant; and

WHEREAS, after achieving the rank of command master sergeant, Mitchell Rubenstein ably led the 354th Transportation Battalion for four years, then returned to the 306th MP Battalion and retired from the military in March 2002; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his exceptional service to the nation, Mitchell Rubenstein received the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Award with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Achievement Award with one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, among many other awards and decorations; and

WHEREAS, Mitchell Rubenstein also served with the Hempstead Police Department in New York for 21 years, including assignments as a defensive tactics instructor, training officer for a ceremonial unit, and motorcycle patrol officer; and

WHEREAS, after settling in the Commonwealth, Mitchell Rubenstein became an active member of the Edinburg community as a youth sports coach, hunter's safety program instructor, and a leader in several local veterans organizations; and

WHEREAS, Mitchell Rubenstein will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Suzanne; his children, Casey and Sidney; and numerous other family members, friends, and fellow veterans and law-enforcement professionals; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Command Sergeant Major Mitchell L. Rubenstein, USA, Ret.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Command Sergeant Major Mitchell L. Rubenstein, USA, Ret., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.