H.R. No. 1952
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Austin McCall of Katy has
received the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart for his
exceptional bravery in combat while serving in Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, A member of the elite 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger
Regiment, Sergeant McCall was leading a squad in eastern
Afghanistan on January 5, 2010, when he received intelligence that
a guesthouse in a nearby compound was sheltering a group of
insurgents, including a suicide bomber; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant McCall was the first man to enter the
compound, and in the courtyard, he confronted an insurgent who
flung a grenade at him before being killed and dropping another; the
second grenade exploded on impact and hit the sergeant; the other
insurgents quickly opened fire, and despite being seriously
wounded, Sergeant McCall returned fire, enabling his squad to enter
and secure the compound, with another group of Rangers soon to
follow; a helicopter was summoned and arrived 30 minutes later to
take Sergeant McCall to a forward operating base for treatment; he
was later airlifted to a hospital in Germany; he returned to Fort
Lewis, Washington, for continued care, but at his insistence, he
was back with his unit in Afghanistan within a month of the
incident; and
WHEREAS, In addition to earning the Bronze Star with Valor
and the Purple Heart, Sergeant McCall was cited by the Department of
Defense as a hero; and
WHEREAS, A veteran of six deployments to Iraq and
Afghanistan, this exemplary Texan embodies the highest ideals of
the United States armed forces, and he has earned the lasting
respect and gratitude of his fellow Americans; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Staff Sergeant Austin McCall for his
service to the nation and his courage in combat and extend to him
sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Sergeant McCall as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Callegari
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1952 was adopted by the House on May
19, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House