H.R. No. 1828
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Jimmie Doyle of Lamesa, a courageous
Texan who gave his life in defense of his country during World War
II, was finally laid to rest in his home state on April 25, 2009,
more than 64 years after he was killed in action; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Doyle was an aerial gunner with the 424th
Squadron of the 307th Heavy Bombardment Group of the United States
Army Air Forces and completed numerous combat missions in the
Pacific theater; on September 1, 1944, the B-24 bomber on which he
was a crewmember was hit by antiaircraft fire while on a bombing run
over Koror in the Palau Islands; he and seven of his fellow aviators
died when the plane crashed into the ocean; three others parachuted
from the plane but perished in captivity after being captured by the
Japanese; and
WHEREAS, Though he died at age 25, Jimmie Doyle had
experienced much in his life; he was born on October 29, 1918, in
McKinney, the son of Tom and Mamie Doyle, and later moved to
Sweetwater; at age 17, in the midst of the Great Depression, he
joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and was sent to work in
Lamesa; there, he met Myrle Dean Wells, and the two were wed on
September 21, 1940; the couple welcomed the arrival of their son,
Tommy, in December of 1942, with Mr. Doyle supporting the family by
working as a stonemason in the area; in August of 1943, with his
country at war, he joined the armed forces; the following spring, he
received his orders to depart for combat duty in the Pacific; and
WHEREAS, The wreckage of Sergeant Doyle's plane went
unrecovered for decades; then, in the early 2000s, the remnants of
the submerged aircraft were located through the efforts of the Bent
Prop Project, a volunteer organization dedicated to returning the
remains of American service members who were lost during the air
battles over Palau; Bent Prop's discovery prompted the Joint
POW/MIA Account Command to conduct underwater recovery operations,
which ultimately resulted in the repatriation of Sergeant Doyle's
body; and
WHEREAS, Two descendants of the fallen airman have had a
personal connection to the recovery; Tommy Doyle, Jimmie's son, had
the opportunity to travel to Palau and participate in dive
operations on the submerged aircraft; U.S. Marine Captain Casey
Doyle, Tommy's son and Jimmie's grandson, officially escorted the
remains as they were returned to Texas; and
WHEREAS, Staff Sergeant Jimmie Doyle was buried next to his
wife, Myrle, at Lamesa Memorial Park with full military honors,
including a flyover and a 21-gun salute; this was a fitting tribute
to a valiant member of the U.S. armed forces who made the ultimate
sacrifice for his country, and the citizens of Texas and the United
States owe him an eternal debt of remembrance for his brave service
in a time of war; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby honor the life of Staff Sergeant Jimmie Doyle
and extend deepest condolences to the members of his family: to his
son, Tommy Doyle, and his wife, Nancy; to his grandchildren, Casey
and Brandi Doyle; to his sister, Pat Presfield; and to his other
relatives; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sergeant
Jimmie Doyle.
Craddick
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1828 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 14, 2009.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House