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| 4 | 4 | | SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Lloyd Herbert Hughes Jr., a graduate of Refugio High |
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| 6 | 6 | | School, demonstrated conspicuous gallantry in the skies over Europe |
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| 7 | 7 | | during World War II, sacrificing his life in defense of his nation |
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| 8 | 8 | | and earning the Congressional Medal of Honor; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born in 1921 in Alexandria, Louisiana, Pete Hughes |
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| 10 | 10 | | attended Refugio High School, where he was both an academic star and |
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| 11 | 11 | | a letterman in several sports; after graduating in 1939, he went on |
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| 12 | 12 | | to study petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University; shortly |
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| 13 | 13 | | following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he answered |
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| 14 | 14 | | his nation's call to duty by enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps, |
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| 15 | 15 | | and he trained as a bomber pilot; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | WHEREAS, Serving with the 564th Bombardment Squadron, 389th |
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| 17 | 17 | | Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force, Second Lieutenant Hughes was the |
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| 18 | 18 | | pilot of a B-24 Liberator nicknamed "Ole Kickapoo"; on August 1, |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1943, he and his crew took part in Operation Tidal Wave, a daring, |
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| 20 | 20 | | low-level raid on the Axis oil fields in Ploiesti, Romania, |
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| 21 | 21 | | conducted by 170 B-24 bombers; flying last in his formation over a |
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| 22 | 22 | | burning oil refinery that had already been hit, his plane was struck |
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| 23 | 23 | | by enemy antiaircraft fire and began to leak gasoline in two places; |
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| 24 | 24 | | and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, Knowing the consequences of flying his leaking plane |
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| 26 | 26 | | low enough to hit his assigned target, Lieutenant Hughes could have |
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| 27 | 27 | | broken off, but instead, he elected to complete his mission, flying |
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| 28 | 28 | | into the inferno and dropping his bombs on the target; his plane |
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| 29 | 29 | | emerged with its left wing on fire, and Lieutenant Hughes and five |
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| 30 | 30 | | other members of his crew lost their lives while attempting a crash |
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| 31 | 31 | | landing in a riverbed near Câmpina, Romania; two additional crew |
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| 32 | 32 | | members later died of their injuries and two others were captured by |
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| 33 | 33 | | the enemy; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, In recognition of his sacrifice and his dedication |
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| 35 | 35 | | to duty, Lieutenant Hughes was posthumously awarded the |
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| 36 | 36 | | Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award; |
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| 37 | 37 | | his widow, Hazel Dean Hughes, was presented with the medal in April |
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| 38 | 38 | | 1944, and the remains of Lieutenant Hughes were repatriated and |
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| 39 | 39 | | buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio in April |
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| 40 | 40 | | 1950; he is the only resident of Refugio ever to earn the Medal of |
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| 41 | 41 | | Honor, and the Lloyd H. "Pete" Hughes Memorial Committee of the |
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| 42 | 42 | | Refugio ISD Education Foundation is leading an effort to recognize |
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| 43 | 43 | | his connection to Refugio by naming a portion of U.S. 77 in his |
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| 44 | 44 | | honor and by installing a memorial at Refugio High School; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | WHEREAS, A proud son of Refugio, Lloyd Herbert Hughes |
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| 46 | 46 | | Jr. paid the ultimate price while fighting for his country during |
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| 47 | 47 | | the most far-reaching conflict in world history, and the citizens |
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| 48 | 48 | | of his hometown, his state, and his nation owe him a debt of |
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| 49 | 49 | | gratitude that the passage of time can never diminish; now, |
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| 50 | 50 | | therefore, be it |
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| 51 | 51 | | RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 52 | 52 | | hereby pay tribute to the heroism of U.S. Army Air Corps Second |
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| 53 | 53 | | Lieutenant Lloyd Herbert Hughes Jr.; and, be it further |
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| 54 | 54 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 55 | 55 | | prepared for his family as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 56 | 56 | | House of Representatives and Senate. |
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