Press Releases

Today Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) released the following statement after visiting Big Spring High School to honor fallen solider and Big Spring graduate Specialist Robert James “RJ” Volker as part of the West Texas Warrior initiative. This was Congressman Arrington’s second visit in a series of public ceremonies to honor post-9/11 fallen heroes from District 19. “Each of us is eternally indebted to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom,”Arrington said. “It was my profound honor to be with the people of Big Spring today to pay tribute to a fallen hero, Specialist Robert James “RJ” Volker, and his family. “We must always strive to be a nation worthy of those who laid down their lives for us. It is my hope that through the West Texas Warrior initiative, we can create a culture of honor and respect among our youth for those who serve in uniform by recognizing the fallen heroes of our region like RJ at high schools throughout District 19.” BACKGROUND: Robert James “RJ” Volker was born and raised in Big Spring. He graduated from Big Spring High School in 2003. After attending Universal Technical Institute in Houston for automotive collision repair in 2004, he worked at the Big Spring Collision Center until he enlisted in the United States Army in 2005, just three days after his younger brother, Jonathan, left for basic training for the United States Navy. In 2006, RJ was killed in Baghdad, Iraq after suffering injuries from an improvised explosive device that detonated near his High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).