Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HCR105 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R24355 JGH-D
2	2	By: Dean H.C.R. No. 105
3	3
4	4
5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
7	7	to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
8	8	or federal military forces, and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel
9	9	James Edwin Ray proved himself a deserving recipient of this
10	10	prestigious commendation with his heroic actions during the Vietnam
11	11	War; and
12	12	WHEREAS, Born in Longview in 1941, James Ray graduated with
13	13	honors from Conroe High School and went on to attend Texas A&M
14	14	University, where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in
15	15	English, the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Cadets, and
16	16	a commission in the U.S. Air Force through the ROTC program; and
17	17	WHEREAS, After earning his pilot's wings at Vance Air Force
18	18	Base in 1965, Lieutenant Ray trained on the F-105 Thunderchief
19	19	fighter-bomber at Nellis AFB and earned his first assignments as an
20	20	F-105 pilot with the 334th and 336th Tactical Fighter Squadrons at
21	21	Seymour Johnson AFB; he was deployed to Southeast Asia in April
22	22	1966, when he joined the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat
23	23	Royal Thai AFB in Thailand; he flew 10 extremely hazardous missions
24	24	over North Vietnam, and on his 11th mission on May 8, 1966, he was
25	25	forced to eject and was captured by the enemy; he spent more than
26	26	six years and nine months as a prisoner of war in North Vietnamese
27	27	prison camps, including the infamously brutal "Hanoi Hilton"; and
28	28	WHEREAS, During his captivity, Lieutenant Ray displayed
29	29	remarkable fortitude and determination in the face of torture,
30	30	starvation, and isolation; in spite of this treatment, he and his
31	31	fellow prisoners avoided mental breakdown by devising clever ways
32	32	to stay in touch with each other, by tapping out coded messages from
33	33	cell to cell, or by hiding letters in an empty toothpaste container
34	34	behind a brick in a wall; Lieutenant Ray and the other prisoners
35	35	also drew strength and encouragement from memorizing and reciting
36	36	verses from the Bible; and
37	37	WHEREAS, After the POWs were released in February 1973, this
38	38	brave American took time to recover in the hospital and then resumed
39	39	his air force career; at the rank of captain, he became an
40	40	instructor pilot at Holloman AFB, and after completing Air Command
41	41	and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, he went on to serve with the 339th
42	42	Fighter Squadron and the 347th Fighter Wing, at the U.S. Air Force
43	43	headquarters, and as air attaché to Rome; he was then commander of
44	44	the 3300th Technical Training Wing at Keesler AFB until his
45	45	retirement at the rank of colonel on December 31, 1990; and
46	46	WHEREAS, Colonel Ray's commendations include the Silver
47	47	Star, the Legion of Merit with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze
48	48	Star with valor device and bronze oak leaf cluster, the Purple Heart
49	49	with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, and
50	50	the Air Medal, among many others; and
51	51	WHEREAS, James Ray's skill and bravery as a pilot and his
52	52	unswerving resilience distinguish him as a warrior of peerless
53	53	courage and patriotism, and it is indeed appropriate that he be
54	54	honored with the highest military award granted by the state where
55	55	he was born; now, therefore, be it
56	56	RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
57	57	hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to award the Texas
58	58	Legislative Medal of Honor to James Edwin Ray in recognition of his
59	59	valiant service during the Vietnam War.