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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Joyce Eilene Rice Denke of Riesel, who served with |
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| 6 | 7 | | the Red Cross during the Vietnam War, has been featured in the Waco |
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| 7 | 8 | | Tribune-Herald as one of its Voices of Valor; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Ms. Denke was a young woman engaged to be married |
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| 9 | 10 | | when her fiancé, a soldier from Fort Hood, was killed in Vietnam; |
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| 10 | 11 | | three years later, in 1970, having worked with VISTA and having |
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| 11 | 12 | | earned a degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, she |
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| 12 | 13 | | joined the Red Cross and volunteered to go to Vietnam herself, to |
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| 13 | 14 | | give something back to the military in honor of her fiancé; and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, In Vietnam, Ms. Denke served with the Red Cross |
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| 15 | 16 | | program known as Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas as a |
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| 16 | 17 | | recreation worker, or "Donut Dollie"; during the program's seven |
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| 17 | 18 | | years of operation in Southeast Asia, 627 young women worked with |
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| 18 | 19 | | the SRAO in that capacity, spending six days a week on duty, |
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| 19 | 20 | | interacting with an average of 280,500 service members each month, |
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| 20 | 21 | | and logging more than two million miles in jeeps, trucks, and |
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| 21 | 22 | | helicopters; over the course of her year with the program, |
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| 22 | 23 | | Ms. Denke helped to boost the morale of combat personnel at landing |
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| 23 | 24 | | zones, hospitals, fire-support bases, and other locations; she |
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| 24 | 25 | | served six months at Cam Ranh Bay with the marines and another six |
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| 25 | 26 | | months with the army and air force at Da Nang; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, After returning home, Ms. Denke served in the Red |
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| 27 | 28 | | Cross for another seven years and then took a job with IBM in Waco; |
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| 28 | 29 | | it was there that she met her future husband, Dewain Denke, whom she |
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| 29 | 30 | | married in 1979; in the years since, she has been featured in a |
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| 30 | 31 | | documentary film, A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War's Red Cross |
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| 31 | 32 | | Girls; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Through her bravery, compassion, and dedication, |
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| 33 | 34 | | Joyce Denke brought a friendly face and a touch of home to members |
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| 34 | 35 | | of the United States armed forces during a desperate time, and her |
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| 35 | 36 | | fellow citizens owe her a lasting debt of gratitude; now, |
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| 36 | 37 | | therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legislature hereby honor Joyce Denke for her exemplary service to |
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| 39 | 40 | | her country as a member of the Red Cross and congratulate her on her |
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| 40 | 41 | | recognition as one of the Voices of Valor by the Waco |
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| 41 | 42 | | Tribune-Herald; and, be it further |
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| 42 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 43 | 44 | | prepared for Ms. Denke as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | House of Representatives. |
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