83R10901 JGH-D
By: Patrick H.R. No. 977
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A life ennobled by courage and years of service to
his nation has ended with the death of retired U.S. Army colonel and
Medal of Honor recipient James L. Stone of Arlington on November 9,
2012, at the age of 89; and
WHEREAS, The son of State and Idell Stone, James Lamar Stone
was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on December 27, 1922, and raised
in Hot Springs; he studied at the University of Arkansas, where he
was a member of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps; after
graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and zoology in
1947, he joined the General Electric Company in Houston; he
answered his nation's call to duty in 1948, and after receiving
training at Fort Ord, was sent to Korea as a first lieutenant with
the Eighth Cavalry Regiment of the First Cavalry Division in 1951;
and
WHEREAS, On November 21, 1951, Lieutenant Stone was
commanding a platoon on a hill overlooking the Imjin River when his
position came under attack at nine o'clock in the evening by the
Chinese Army; throughout the night, Lieutenant Stone and the 48 men
in his unit fought a desperate struggle against a force that swelled
to approximately 800 attackers; and
WHEREAS, After a flamethrower malfunctioned and its operator
was killed, Lieutenant Stone repaired it under fire, and then,
taking charge of his command's only working machine gun, he moved
from position to position to fend off the enemy; with half of his
men dead, he ordered the rest to retreat while he remained behind to
cover them; in the course of the fighting, he was wounded twice in
the leg and once in the neck; and
WHEREAS, Near daybreak, Lieutenant Stone and six other
wounded Americans were taken prisoner by the Chinese; when American
forces recovered the position later that day, they counted 545 dead
enemy soldiers; Lieutenant Stone spent 22 months as a prisoner of
war before being freed in a prisoner exchange in September 1953; in
October of that same year, he was presented with the Medal of Honor
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and
WHEREAS, This brave soldier continued to serve his nation as
a career army officer; following a period of time in Germany, he was
reassigned to Texas, where he administered ROTC units in the Fort
Worth area, and in 1971 he served a tour of duty in Vietnam; after
nearly 30 years in the military, he retired at the rank of colonel;
and
WHEREAS, Preceded in death by his first wife, Jane Dickenson
Stone, Colonel Stone was fortunate to find love again with his
second wife, the former Mary Lou Hickman; he was the father of two
sons, James and Ray; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Stone settled in Arlington in 1980, and he
worked for a time with his son James in a home-building business; he
remained involved in the veterans community, playing an active role
in Chapter 215 of the Korean War Veterans Association and in the
Legion of Valor and taking part in Veterans Day ceremonies every
year at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery; he was a keen
baseball fan who delighted in attending Texas Rangers games and in
watching his grandson, Stewart, play Little League; he was also a
valued member of First United Methodist Church of Arlington; and
WHEREAS, Representing the highest ideals of our nation's
armed forces, Colonel James Stone not only demonstrated remarkable
courage on one fateful night, he expressed his devotion to his
country through nearly three decades of service, and the example of
his life will forever inspire all those who knew and loved him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Colonel James
L. Stone and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his wife, Mary Lou Stone; to his sons, James L. Stone,
Jr., and his wife, Mary, and Ray Stone and his wife, Marta; to his
grandson, Stewart; to his stepdaughter, Amy Rodriguez, her husband,
Oscar, and their children, Blake and Brittany; and to his other
relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Colonel
James L. Stone.