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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 126
BY SENATOR HEITMEIER
A RESOLUTION
To commend Oswald Hinson Welch, for his contributions during his more than ninety years
of service and involvement in improving Louisiana and his service to his country in
World War II.
WHEREAS, Oswald Welch was born in Fullerton, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, on
January 14, 1921; and
WHEREAS, he has lived all of his life in Louisiana, spending segments of his life
in Oakdale, Metairie, and Gretna, where he currently resides; and
WHEREAS, at the age of twenty, Welch entered into service in the United States
Navy in 1941, in San Diego, California; and
WHEREAS, while in San Diego, he was trained in sonar technology, he subsequently
was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and was assigned to the USS Skylark, a minesweeper as
its sonar man; and
WHEREAS, the USS Skylark was commissioned in November 1942 and during the
course of the war in the Pacific and, as result of her gallant crew, received three Battle Stars
for meritorious participation in battle; and
WHEREAS, throughout most of the remainder of the war in the Pacific, Welch
remained with the Skylark, performing his responsibilities as sonar man by detecting both
mines and enemy ships in the waters near his ship; and
WHEREAS, working tirelessly to maintain a watch for dangerous mines and enemy
ships which resulted in his ship remaining safe from these threats, Welch rose in the ranks
to become a first petty officer and was reassigned from the Skylark in March 1945; and
WHEREAS, a mere three weeks after having left his duties on the Skylark, this proud
ship was sunk by the enemy off of Okinawa Island on April 8, 1945; and
WHEREAS, after completing his tour of duty in the South Pacific and following the
end of the war in the Pacific in August 1945, Welch returned to Louisiana and resumed his
studies in Ruston at Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, known today as Louisiana Tech; and SR NO. 126 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, on March 6, 1948, Welch married Fannie Mae Patton and the couple
settled down to live in Monroe, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the four children born to Fannie and "Ozzie" are David Hinson Welch,
Richard Tanner Welch, Lisa Welch Myers, and Henry Robert Welch who went on to
produce eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren for the Welches; and
WHEREAS, eventually Welch went to work for the State of Louisiana as a Juvenile
Probation and Parole officer in New Orleans and the family moved to Gretna; and
WHEREAS, he enjoyed his work with children needing guidance and attention after
having found themselves in the juvenile criminal justice system and he served in this role
for over thirty-two years; and
WHEREAS, the Welches enjoyed sixty-four years of love and companionship in
their marriage, until the death of his beloved Fannie, in January 2013; and
WHEREAS, as both Ozzie and Fannie were members of what is often called "the
Greatest Generation", their lives filled with commitment to God, country, family, and
community stand as an example to all of those who follow them in this state and in this
country; and
WHEREAS, the contributions of these children of the Great Depression as a whole,
have set a high bar for the generations to follow, to remain true to the important spiritual and
civic tenets which have governed this nation from its first days as colonies of various
European nations into these tumultuous times of the Twenty-First Century.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Oswald Hinson Welch on his long life in Louisiana and on his many
contributions as a man of God, a patriot to his country, a dedicated father, grandfather, and
great-grandfather, and an outstanding citizen of his community.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Oswald Hinson Welch.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE