81R5686 MMS-D
By: Miller of Erath H.R. No. 199
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Fort Hood community and citizens of Central
Texas are celebrating Fort Hood Day on January 30, 2009, and this
occasion provides a fitting opportunity to reflect on the
extraordinary service rendered by this renowned military
installation and its dedicated personnel; and
WHEREAS, Officially opened on September 18, 1942, Fort Hood
is the largest active-duty armored post in the United States, with a
total area of 340 square miles; today, as the Army's "premier power
projection platform," Fort Hood upholds its mission to maintain
combat readiness and the capacity to mount a "rapid and massive
military response"; and
WHEREAS, Since the 1970s, Fort Hood has also been at the
forefront in testing and introducing new equipment and training
troops in its use, as well as in evaluating and incorporating new
tactics and organizational structure; while troops at Fort Hood are
predominantly focused on combat preparedness, they have also
deployed to Bosnia in a peacekeeping capacity, and they routinely
provide disaster relief both at home and abroad; and
WHEREAS, More than 52,000 soldiers, one out of every 10 on
active duty, are currently assigned to Fort Hood; the only military
post in the United States that is able to support two armored
divisions, the fort is home to the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th
Infantry Division, in addition to the III Corps Headquarters, the
13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), the 3rd Armored Cavalry
Regiment, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team 1st Infantry Division, and a
number of other units; and
WHEREAS, Since World War II, when the number of troops
stationed at Fort Hood rose as high as 100,000, the post has trained
and deployed soldiers for action in Korea, Vietnam, and the First
Gulf War, as well as dispatched troops to Somalia, the Caribbean
Basin, Central America, and Southwest Asia; and
WHEREAS, To date, Fort Hood has deployed more troops for
Operation Iraqi Freedom than any other base, and its 96th
Transportation Company, which shipped out for its sixth tour of
duty in October 2008, has deployed more often to Iraq than any other
army unit; reflecting its heavy contribution to the war effort in
that country, Fort Hood has sustained the most casualties in Iraq of
any post; a number of Fort Hood units have also served in
Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Among the myriad missions undertaken by Fort Hood
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, one that will forever be recounted
in the history books is the capture of Saddam Hussein by the 1st
Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division in December 2003;
and
WHEREAS, Through their courage, professionalism, and
devotion to duty, the soldiers of Fort Hood exemplify the highest
standards of the United States armed forces, and their fellow
citizens owe to all these troops the deepest debt of gratitude; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby recognize January 30, 2009, as Fort Hood Day and
extend to all those assigned to that post profound appreciation for
their exemplary valor and their immeasurable service in this
nation's behalf.