86R20373 JGH-D
By: Shine H.R. No. 926
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Members of Walton H. Walker Post 55 of the American
Legion in Belton are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their
organization with an event on May 25, 2019; and
WHEREAS, The post was first established in Belton on the
Fourth of July in 1919 by the veterans of Bell County; the first
commander was W. R. Brown of Temple, and the adjutant was
C. W. Pyle of Belton; in 1951, the post was officially named in
honor of Korean War hero General Walton Walker; and
WHEREAS, Born in Belton in 1889, Walton Walker graduated from
West Point in 1912, and over the course of his career in the
U.S. Army, he became known as "Patton's Bulldog" for his leadership
of the IV Armored Corps and XX Corps during World War II and as the
"unsung hero" of the Korean War as the commander of the 8th Army,
which bore the brunt of the North Korean invasion on June 28, 1950;
he served as commander of the United Nations forces in Korea until
his death in a jeep accident in December 1950; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, Post 55 has greatly benefited its
community through its contributions to the Belton Christian Youth
Center, the Communities in Schools program, the Helping Hands
Ministry, the Belton Fire Department, the Make-A-Wish Foundation,
and the Apple Tree program, among others; using proceeds from its
bingo games, the post has also endowed two $100,000 scholarships
through the Belton Educational Enrichment Foundation, in the names
of two Legion members, former post vice commander Joseph Elliot
Wilson and former post commander Theo A. McGhee; and
WHEREAS, For 100 years, the legionnaires of Post 55 have
stayed true to the ideals of loyalty and patriotism that informed
their military service, and they have given generously of their
time and resources to make their community a better place in which
to live; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Walton H. Walker American Legion
Post 55 on its centennial and extend to its members sincere best
wishes for a meaningful and memorable anniversary event; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Post 55 as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.