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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Willis Thomas Jones Jr. of Baytown is deserving |
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| 6 | 7 | | of highest commendation for the valiant service he rendered to his |
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| 7 | 8 | | state and his nation during World War II; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Dr. Jones enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in |
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| 9 | 10 | | November 1941, just one month prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl |
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| 10 | 11 | | Harbor; he attended flight school and graduated from Armor School |
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| 11 | 12 | | in April 1942, at which time he was commissioned a second |
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| 12 | 13 | | lieutenant; shortly thereafter, he was assigned to one of the first |
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| 13 | 14 | | B-17 bomber groups to head to England for the war; in the fall of |
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| 14 | 15 | | 1942, his unit was detached from the VIII Bomber Command in England |
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| 15 | 16 | | and sent to serve in the North African campaign, which culminated in |
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| 16 | 17 | | the surrender of the Axis forces under General Erwin Rommel in May |
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| 17 | 18 | | 1943; Dr. Jones was subsequently assigned to the 15th Air Force and |
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| 18 | 19 | | based in Italy, where he arrived on December 25, 1943; after flying |
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| 19 | 20 | | numerous missions as a gunner, he assumed the role of bombardier; |
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| 20 | 21 | | and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, On July 26, 1944, while Dr. Jones was flying his |
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| 22 | 23 | | 45th combat mission of the war, his bomber squadron was attacked by |
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| 23 | 24 | | a group of German fighters over Vienna, Austria; the assault |
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| 24 | 25 | | destroyed his plane and killed the crew's pilot, copilot, and |
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| 25 | 26 | | engineer, but Dr. Jones was able to bail out of the aircraft at |
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| 26 | 27 | | 22,000 feet, after all remaining crew members had ejected; although |
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| 27 | 28 | | miraculously unharmed, he was quickly captured by enemy forces and |
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| 28 | 29 | | taken to the Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp near Barth, Germany; |
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| 29 | 30 | | there, he endured several months of imprisonment, until the camp |
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| 30 | 31 | | was liberated by Russian forces in May 1945; Dr. Jones was |
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| 31 | 32 | | discharged from the military with the rank of major in 1946; and |
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| 32 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Following his return home to the Lone Star State, |
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| 33 | 34 | | W. T. Jones married his wife, Ada Mae, on August 25, 1945, and the |
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| 34 | 35 | | couple has since shared nearly seven rewarding decades together; |
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| 35 | 36 | | Dr. Jones went on to attend medical school from 1946 to 1950, and he |
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| 36 | 37 | | enjoyed a long and successful career in Baytown until his |
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| 37 | 38 | | retirement in 1985; and |
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| 38 | 39 | | WHEREAS, Dr. W. T. Jones embodies the highest ideals of the |
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| 39 | 40 | | U.S. armed forces and deserves the lasting respect and gratitude of |
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| 40 | 41 | | all Americans, and it is a privilege to commend him for his |
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| 41 | 42 | | outstanding contributions to his country and his community; now, |
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| 42 | 43 | | therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | Legislature hereby honor Dr. Willis Thomas Jones Jr. for his brave |
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| 45 | 46 | | and steadfast service in this nation's behalf; and, be it further |
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| 46 | 47 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 47 | 48 | | prepared for Dr. Jones as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 48 | 49 | | House of Representatives. |
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