H.R. No. 1149
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Joyce Eilene Rice Denke of Riesel, who served with
the Red Cross during the Vietnam War, has been featured in the Waco
Tribune-Herald as one of its Voices of Valor; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Denke was a young woman engaged to be married
when her fiancé, a soldier from Fort Hood, was killed in Vietnam;
three years later, in 1970, having worked with VISTA and having
earned a degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, she
joined the Red Cross and volunteered to go to Vietnam herself, to
give something back to the military in honor of her fiancé; and
WHEREAS, In Vietnam, Ms. Denke served with the Red Cross
program known as Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas as a
recreation worker, or "Donut Dollie"; during the program's seven
years of operation in Southeast Asia, 627 young women worked with
the SRAO in that capacity, spending six days a week on duty,
interacting with an average of 280,500 service members each month,
and logging more than two million miles in jeeps, trucks, and
helicopters; over the course of her year with the program,
Ms. Denke helped to boost the morale of combat personnel at landing
zones, hospitals, fire-support bases, and other locations; she
served six months at Cam Ranh Bay with the marines and another six
months with the army and air force at Da Nang; and
WHEREAS, After returning home, Ms. Denke served in the Red
Cross for another seven years and then took a job with IBM in Waco;
it was there that she met her future husband, Dewain Denke, whom she
married in 1979; in the years since, she has been featured in a
documentary film, A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War's Red Cross
Girls; and
WHEREAS, Through her bravery, compassion, and dedication,
Joyce Denke brought a friendly face and a touch of home to members
of the United States armed forces during a desperate time, and her
fellow citizens owe her a lasting debt of gratitude; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Joyce Denke for her exemplary service to
her country as a member of the Red Cross and congratulate her on her
recognition as one of the Voices of Valor by the Waco
Tribune-Herald; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Denke as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Anderson of McLennan
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1149 was adopted by the House on March
19, 2015, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House