82R19329 MMS-D
By: Price H.R. No. 1194
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For thousands of members of the American armed
forces who have served in wartime, the heat of battle has been
followed by the hardships and challenges of life as a prisoner of
war; and
WHEREAS, Harsh conditions and psychological duress have been
the common condition of POWs, and often the degree of cruelty
inflicted has reached the level of atrocity; the history of this
country's military conflicts is replete with such infamous cases;
among the horrors that attended the American Civil War were the
Andersonville and Libby prison camps in the South and Elmira in the
North where, collectively, more than 16,000 prisoners died from a
lack of food, inadequate medical care, wretched sanitation, and
exposure to the elements; altogether, it is estimated that 56,000
men perished in Civil War prisons; and
WHEREAS, In World War II, the notorious Bataan Death March
followed on the heels of the surrender of 70,000 American and
Filipino troops to the Japanese Army on April 9, 1942; treatment of
those prisoners was so brutal that the Japanese officer initially
in command was later tried as a war criminal and executed; still
further misery awaited POWs in the Philippines; in late 1944, with
U.S. forces poised to recapture the islands, the Japanese Army
crammed more than 126,000 Allied prisoners into the holds of
merchant ships for the purpose of evacuation; many of those men died
as a result of fetid, horrifically overcrowded conditions and a
lack of food and water; in addition, over 21,000 Americans are
believed to have been killed or injured when the "hell ships"
carrying them were attacked by American planes and submarines; and
WHEREAS, American prisoner-of-war deaths during the Korean
War officially totaled more than 2,800, for a rate of over 40
percent; before the creation of permanent prison camps, many of
those captured died on death marches to temporary facilities;
casualties were especially high in the first two years of the war,
largely due to a lack of food, shelter, and medicine; prisoners also
suffered physical abuse, and there were reported cases of torture;
and
WHEREAS, U.S. troops captured during the Vietnam War were
kept in primitive conditions in South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Laos,
and Cambodia; the so-called "Hanoi Hilton" prison in North Vietnam
was the scene of repeated beatings and torture, while one out of
every three Americans taken prisoner by the Viet Cong died from
disease, injury, or execution; and
WHEREAS, In today's military, women are increasingly
assuming risks on a par with men; Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson,
of El Paso, became one of the first two female POWs of Operation
Iraqi Freedom on March 23, 2003, when her convoy was ambushed in
Nasiriya; wounded in both ankles, she was held captive with other
members of her group until they were rescued on April 13, 2003; and
WHEREAS, Those prisoners of war who have survived their
ordeal have continued to lead lives of service; among the most
prominent is Congressman Sam Johnson, of Plano, who was shot down
during his second tour of duty as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War
and who subsequently spent nearly seven years as a POW in North
Vietnam; after retiring from a highly decorated 29-year career in
the United States Air Force, Sam Johnson served in the Texas House
of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, when he was elected to the
U.S. Congress; and
WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, the plight of American
military personnel who were listed as being either captured or
missing in action gave rise to the creation of the POW/MIA flag;
depicting the silhouette of a man flanked by a watchtower and a
strand of barbed wire, the flag flies, at the direction of Congress,
over the White House, the Capitol, and other specified sites on the
occasion of six annual national observances, including
Independence Day and Veterans Day; and
WHEREAS, Our nation is fortunate to have sons and daughters
whose love of country leads them to join one of the uniformed
branches, yet we are aware that in answering their nation's call,
they assume enormous burdens and risks; to those who have known the
terrible rigors of prison camps while serving in this country's
behalf, Americans owe a profound debt and eternal tribute; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate April 9, 2011, as Former POW
Recognition Day and honor all Texans who have experienced life as a
prisoner of war for their immeasurable courage, commitment, and
sacrifice.