82R30196 JH-D
By: Marquez H.R. No. 2656
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Well-deserved recognition was granted to fallen
Texas marine Jesus Roberto Vasquez on May 17, 2011, as the El Paso
City Council voted to name a new park in his honor; and
WHEREAS, Born in El Paso on the Fourth of July in 1947, Mr.
Vasquez decided on a military career while still in his teens and
was a second lieutenant in the Reserve Officers Training Corps at
Jefferson High School; following his graduation in 1965, he
enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was later deployed to
Vietnam; and
WHEREAS, In January 1968, Sergeant Vasquez was among the
marines defending the base at Khe Sanh as a huge contingent of North
Vietnamese troops laid siege to the camp; on January 30, an enemy
artillery barrage ignited a fire in an ammunition supply area; when
this courageous Texan rushed to help extinguish the blaze, he
spotted a burning mortar round that was in danger of exploding;
putting himself in harm's way to protect his fellow platoon
members, he picked up the shell and attempted to throw it into a
nearby crater; it exploded in his hands, ending his life at age 20,
but his heroic action prevented others from being injured or
killed; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Vasquez was posthumously awarded the Navy
Cross, the second-highest citation awarded to members of the U.S.
Marine Corps; this rare honor received relatively little attention
in his hometown at the time, however, as public sentiment across the
nation had turned against the war; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, area resident Manuel Gameros became aware
of Sergeant Vasquez's story and soon undertook a petition drive to
request that the City of El Paso name a park in his honor; after
being presented with the petition, council members unanimously
agreed, and with their approval Sergeant Jesus Roberto Vasquez USMC
Park will be a permanent and fitting reminder of the noble sacrifice
made by this admirable El Paso native in behalf of our nation; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the naming of Sergeant Jesus Roberto
Vasquez USMC Park and pay tribute to the life of this brave Texan.