WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, there were several terrorist acts perpetrated upon this country, one of those being the Pentagon; and,

WHEREAS, on September 11, 2001, Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda was on assignment at the Pentagon as a Medic. He was standing in the parking lot at the Pentagon when he noticed a jetliner lower its landing gear as if to make a landing an then he realized that the airplane was actually heading towards the southwest wall of the Pentagon; and,

WHEREAS, he was standing only 150 feet from the point of impact and for a brief moment he could see the body of the plane sticking out from the side of the building, followed by an explosion; and,

WHEREAS, the blast of the impact was so tremendous, that from his vantage point, it threw him backward over 100 feet slamming into a light pole causing him internal injuries; and,

WHEREAS, despite his internal injuries, Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda remained on his duty station at the Pentagon for seven days after this attack while manning a triage station to assist the other victims of the attack; and,

WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda gave selflessly of his talents and skills to save lives at a time of great crisis; and,

WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda received from the Air Force its highest honor, the Airman's Medal and Purple Heart for his deeds which are incredible and which took superhuman strength to stay on duty in spite of his injuries, the trauma and the terror engendered by such an event; and,

WHEREAS, Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda is the only Air Force member to receive its highest honor, the Airman's Medal and Purple Heart as a result of this attack on the Pentagon;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) proudly presents this resolution to recognize Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda for those heroic deeds that saved the lives of many victims at the Pentagon of the United States.

Approved this 29th day of June, 2002.

Hector M. Flores
LULAC National President