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Regular Session, 2013
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 126
BY SENATOR HEITMEIER
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Oswald Hinson Welch for services to Louisiana and the
nation.
A RESOLUTION1
To commend Oswald Hinson Welch, for his contributions during his more than ninety years2
of service and involvement in improving Louisiana and his service to his country in3
World War II.4
WHEREAS, Oswald Welch was born in Fullerton, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, on5
January 14, 1921; and6
WHEREAS, he has lived all of his life in Louisiana, spending segments of his life7
in Oakdale, Metairie, and Gretna, where he currently resides; and8
WHEREAS, at the age of twenty, Welch entered into service in the United States9
Navy in 1941, in San Diego, California; and10
WHEREAS, while in San Diego, he was trained in sonar technology, he subsequently11
was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and was assigned to the USS Skylark, a minesweeper as12
its sonar man; and13
WHEREAS, the USS Skylark was commissioned in November 1942 and during the14
course of the war in the Pacific and, as result of her gallant crew, received three Battle Stars15
for meritorious participation in battle; and16
WHEREAS, throughout most of the remainder of the war in the Pacific Welch17
remained with the Skylark, performing his responsibilities as sonar man by detecting both18 SR NO. 126
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mines and enemy ships in the waters near his ship; and1
WHEREAS, working tirelessly to maintain a watch for dangerous mines and enemy2
ships which resulted in his ship remaining safe from these threats, Welch rose in the ranks3
to become a first petty officer and was reassigned from the Skylark in March 1945; and4
WHEREAS, a mere three weeks after having left his duties on the Skylark, this proud5
ship was sunk by the enemy off of Okinawa Island on April 8, 1945; and6
WHEREAS, after completing his tour of duty in the South Pacific and following the7
end of the war in the Pacific in August 1945, Welch returned to Louisiana and resumed his8
studies in Ruston at Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, known today as Louisiana Tech; and9
WHEREAS, on March 6, 1948, Welch married Fannie Mae Patton and the couple10
settled down to live in Monroe, Louisiana; and11
WHEREAS, the four children born to Fannie and "Ozzie" are David Hinson Welch,12
Richard Tanner Welch, Lisa Welch Myers, and Henry Robert Welch who went on to13
produce eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren for the Welches; and14
WHEREAS, eventually Welch went to work for the State of Louisiana as a Juvenile15
Probation and Parole officer in New Orleans and the family moved to Gretna; and16
WHEREAS, he enjoyed his work with children needing guidance and attention after17
having found themselves in the juvenile criminal justice system and he served in this role18
for over thirty-two years; and19
WHEREAS, the Welches enjoyed sixty-four years of love and companionship in20
their marriage, until the death of his beloved Fannie, in January 2013; and21
WHEREAS, as both Ozzie and Fannie were members of what is often called "the22
Greatest Generation", their lives filled with commitment to God, country, family, and23
community stand as an example to all of those who follow them in this state and in this24
country; and25
WHEREAS, the contributions of these children of the Great Depression as a whole,26
have set a high bar for the generations to follow, to remain true to the important spiritual and27
civic tenets which have governed this nation from its first days as colonies of various28
European nations into these tumultuous times of the Twenty-First Century.29
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana30 SR NO. 126
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does hereby commend Oswald Hinson Welch on his long life in Louisiana and on his many1
contributions as a man of God, a patriot to his country, a dedicated father, grandfather, and2
great-grandfather, and an outstanding citizen of his community.3
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to4
Oswald Hinson Welch.5
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
Heitmeier SR No. 126
Commends Oswald Hinson Welch for his contributions during his more than 90 years of
service and involvement in improving Louisiana and his service to his country in World War
II.