| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 783 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Members of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of |
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| 6 | 6 | | America organization are sponsoring the Rio Grande Valley VA |
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| 7 | 7 | | Hospital March to San Antonio on March 14-20, 2009, to raise |
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| 8 | 8 | | awareness of the need for a VA hospital in the Valley region; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, The second event of its kind, the 250-mile march |
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| 10 | 10 | | begins at the Sekula Memorial Library in Edinburg, which was named |
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| 11 | 11 | | for the late U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Dustin Michael Sekula, and |
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| 12 | 12 | | culminates at the nearest VA hospital, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial |
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| 13 | 13 | | Veterans Hospital in San Antonio; the first march, which was |
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| 14 | 14 | | organized by America's Last Patrol, took place in November 2005 and |
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| 15 | 15 | | helped to revive this long-standing issue; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Although the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
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| 17 | 17 | | operates several outpatient clinics in the Valley, these facilities |
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| 18 | 18 | | do not offer the full range of services, including testing and |
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| 19 | 19 | | therapy, that are available in San Antonio; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Iraq war veterans Jesus Bocanegra and Rey Leal are |
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| 21 | 21 | | coordinating the march, and they expect to be joined by fellow |
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| 22 | 22 | | members of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America as well as by |
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| 23 | 23 | | veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Operation Desert |
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| 24 | 24 | | Storm; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, The health and well-being of veterans in the Rio |
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| 26 | 26 | | Grande Valley depend on convenient access to a VA hospital, and it |
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| 27 | 27 | | is indeed fitting to recognize the outstanding efforts of the |
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| 28 | 28 | | members of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America in working to |
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| 29 | 29 | | achieve this noble goal; now, therefore, be it |
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| 30 | 30 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 31 | 31 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the Rio Grande Valley VA Hospital |
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| 32 | 32 | | March to San Antonio and extend to all those involved sincere best |
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| 33 | 33 | | wishes for a safe and successful event. |
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| 34 | 34 | | Pea |
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| 35 | 35 | | Flores |
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| 36 | 36 | | Gonzales |
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| 37 | 37 | | Rios Ybarra |
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| 38 | 38 | | Lucio III |
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| 39 | 39 | | ______________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 41 | 41 | | I certify that H.R. No. 783 was adopted by the House on March |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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