H.R. No. 2405
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Trinidad Martinez, one of the last living survivors
of the Bataan Death March, was honored at a ceremony hosted by the
Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New Mexico on April 8 and
9, 2017, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of that horrific
event; and
WHEREAS, Born in Mercedes on December 24, 1917, Trinidad
Martinez answered his nation's call to duty by enlisting in the
United States Army in April 1941; that December, just hours after
the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked U.S. military
bases in the Philippines, where Mr. Martinez was stationed; ground
forces invaded two weeks later and drove American and Filipino
troops from Manila to the Bataan Peninsula, where they fought
desperately in the mountainous jungles; cut off from supply lines,
the Americans and Filipinos ran out of food and ammunition, and
their ranks were decimated by hunger and disease; and
WHEREAS, U.S. General Edward King surrendered Bataan on April
9, 1942; soon after, Mr. Martinez and some 76,000 other Americans
and Filipinos were forced to begin marching to a prisoner-of-war
camp more than 60 miles away; the POWs were driven forward under the
broiling sun with little food and almost no water; soldiers who
paused or fell were summarily executed, along with anyone who tried
to help them, and thousands died en route from thirst, starvation,
disease, and brutality; eventually, the American prisoners were
transported to slave labor camps in Asia or interned in the camp at
Cabanatuan, where Mr. Martinez was forced to make weapons and
machinery for the Japanese; he was among the fewer than 1,000
survivors who were finally liberated three years later by an elite
Ranger battalion and the Philippine resistance; and
WHEREAS, After returning stateside, Mr. Martinez was
accorded 15 medals, including the World War II Victory Medal, the
Prisoner of War Medal, and the Bronze Star Medal, and he was
honorably discharged in November 1945 with the rank of corporal;
today, he lives in San Antonio with his daughter, Rosie Dorado, and
his grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Demonstrating the highest degree of patriotism,
Trinidad Martinez fought courageously for his country and
steadfastly endured unimaginable hardships during his captivity,
and the exemplary service he rendered in behalf of this nation is
deserving of the deepest gratitude of every American; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby honor Trinidad Martinez for his valiant military
service during World War II and extend to him sincere best wishes
for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Martinez as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Martinez
Guillen
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 2405 was adopted by the House on May
28, 2017, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House