H.R. No. 1542
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever treasure their
memories of decorated World War II veteran Ervin Martin Koerth, who
died on October 8, 2013, at the age of 91; and
WHEREAS, Born on July 16, 1922, to Gus and Cora Koerth in
Nolan County, Texas, Ervin Koerth enlisted in the U.S. Army on his
20th birthday; after attending parachute jump school at Fort
Benning, Georgia, he became a member of the elite 551st Parachute
Infantry Battalion, an unattached unit of 800 men that was assigned
wherever it was most needed; and
WHEREAS, In mid-August 1944, Paratrooper Koerth and the 551st
took part in the Allied invasion of southern France; the unit
liberated Draguignan against heavy resistance, capturing a German
major general, and then took Nice on August 29; ordered next to the
French-Italian Alps for several months and subsequently to northern
France, the 551st was attached to the 82nd Infantry Division late in
the year, when it joined the Allied counteroffensive in the Battle
of the Bulge; Mr. Koerth, by then a staff sergeant and platoon
leader, helped drive the Germans back at Noirefontaine, Herispehe,
Dairomont, and Quartiers, enduring bitter cold and engaging in
brutal hand-to-hand combat; on January 7, 1945, the 551st took
Rochelinval, but at a terrible cost, with casualties amounting to
more than 85 percent of its strength; by the end of its assault on
the superior German force, the 551st numbered only 14 officers and
96 troops; and
WHEREAS, The battalion was relieved on January 9, and
Sergeant Koerth, suffering from burst eardrums from the sheer noise
of the bombs, mortars, and artillery, was sent to an army hospital
for a month; while he was receiving treatment, the 551st was
deactivated and all its remaining personnel were absorbed into the
82nd Airborne Division; Mr. Koerth was assigned to the 504th
Parachute Infantry Battalion of the 82nd and fought with that unit
as far as the Elbe River; on May 2, 1945, the 82nd accepted the
surrender of the German 21st Army; some four and a half months
later, Mr. Koerth returned to the United States, and on September
25, 1945, he received an honorable discharge; and
WHEREAS, This intrepid Texan was awarded the Purple Heart,
the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Combat
Infantryman Badge; the 551st was recognized with a Presidential
Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of the Bulge, as
well as with the Croix de Guerre from the French government for its
valor at Draguignan; and
WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Koerth lived for many years in
Grand Prairie, where from 1968 until his retirement in 1978 he
operated his own company, LESKO, which made parts for the aircraft
industry; he shared a rewarding, seven-decade-long marriage with
his wife, Lois, whom he married while on furlough in 1943, and he
was the proud father of a daughter, Sandra; later in life, he was
blessed with three grandsons, Brian, Bart, and Harlan Kickhoefer;
Mr. Koerth passed away in 2013; and
WHEREAS, During the greatest conflict of the 20th century,
Ervin Koerth exemplified the highest ideals of the U.S. armed
forces, conducting himself with fortitude, tenacity, and courage,
and he has left behind a record of service to his country that will
continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Ervin Martin Koerth
for his heroic efforts in behalf of this nation during World War II;
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 Ervin
Martin Koerth.
Burns
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1542 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 4, 2017.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House