Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SCR50 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	S.C.R. No. 50
	1	+	By: Campbell, et al. S.C.R. No. 50
	2	+	(Raymond, Lopez)
2	3
3	4
4	5		SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
5	6		WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
6	7		to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
7	8		or federal military forces, and U.S. Army Private Marcelino Serna
8	9		and U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Apprentice William Ray Flores proved
9	10		themselves deserving recipients of this prestigious honor with
10	11		their heroic actions in the service of their nation; and
11	12		WHEREAS, Born in Mexico, Mr. Serna came to the United States
12	13		as a young man; when the United States entered World War I in 1917,
13	14		he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 20, and after only three
14	15		weeks of training, he was shipped overseas with the 355th Infantry,
15	16		89th Division; when his officers in France learned that he was not a
16	17		U.S. citizen, they gave him the opportunity to return home, but
17	18		Private Serna chose to stay and fight; and
18	19		WHEREAS, A remarkable soldier, Private Serna demonstrated
19	20		exceptional resourcefulness and courage during an engagement near
20	21		the French town of St. Mihiel; when 12 members of his unit were
21	22		gunned down by the enemy, he volunteered to scout the machine gun
22	23		emplacement on his own; moving through heavy fire and surviving two
23	24		rounds that were deflected by his helmet, he tossed four hand
24	25		grenades into the machine gun nest, killing six of the enemy
25	26		combatants; he then took the eight survivors captive; and
26	27		WHEREAS, Shortly thereafter, during the Meuse-Argonne
27	28		campaign, Private Serna volunteered again for a lone scouting
28	29		mission, wounding a German sniper with a shot from 200 yards and
29	30		then following the injured man into a trench; firing and hurling
30	31		grenades in all directions to make it seem as if he were part of a
31	32		larger force, he shot three German soldiers immediately, then
32	33		attacked an enemy dugout, felling 26 more and capturing 24; he
33	34		single-handedly held the prisoners at gunpoint until other members
34	35		of his unit arrived; and
35	36		WHEREAS, Private Serna served in combat until the end of the
36	37		war and was wounded in each leg, and while recovering in a French
37	38		hospital, he received the Distinguished Service Cross from General
38	39		John J. Pershing; he also earned the World War I Victory Medal with
39	40		five stars, the Victory Medal with three campaign bars, the
40	41		St. Mihiel Medal, the Verdun Medal, and two Purple Hearts, as well
41	42		as decorations from the governments of France, Italy, and the
42	43		United Kingdom; he became a U.S. citizen in 1924 and settled in El
43	44		Paso, where he resided until his death in 1992; the most decorated
44	45		Texas veteran of World War I, he won every major military award
45	46		short of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and petitions have been
46	47		put forth to grant him that commendation as well; and
47	48		WHEREAS, William Ray Flores was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico,
48	49		in 1961; he attended Western Hills High School in Benbrook, Texas,
49	50		and he left school early in order to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard
50	51		at the age of 17; he served aboard the buoy tender Blackthorn, and
51	52		on the night of January 28, 1980, the ship was leaving Tampa,
52	53		Florida, on route to its home port of Galveston when it collided
53	54		with a 600-foot tanker, the SS Capricorn; the Blackthorn's hull was
54	55		ripped open along the port side by the Capricorn's anchor, and the
55	56		vessel began to take on water and roll onto its side; and
56	57		WHEREAS, In the chaos and darkness, Seaman Apprentice Flores
57	58		and a shipmate found the locker that held the ship's life jackets,
58	59		and they began throwing jackets to their crewmates already in the
59	60		water; Seaman Apprentice Flores used his trouser belt to strap the
60	61		locker open so that more jackets could float free as the Blackthorn
61	62		sank, and after nearly everyone else had abandoned ship, he stayed
62	63		aboard and attempted to save those who were still trapped below
63	64		deck; he lost his life in that effort, along with 22 of his
64	65		shipmates; and
65	66		WHEREAS, Through his selfless actions, Seaman Apprentice
66	67		Flores helped save 27 of his shipmates, and in September 2000, he
67	68		was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal, the service's
68	69		highest commendation for noncombat heroism; in 2012, the Coast
69	70		Guard fast response cutter William Flores was named in his honor,
70	71		and on the 40th anniversary of the Blackthorn's accident in January
71	72		2020, a life-size statue of Seaman Apprentice Flores was unveiled
72	73		at a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida; and
73	74		WHEREAS, Marcelino Serna and William Flores each
74	75		demonstrated uncommon courage, initiative, and devotion to their
75	76		comrades during desperate situations, and it is indeed appropriate
76	77		that they be honored with the highest military award granted by the
77	78		state that is proud to call them Texans; now, therefore, be it
78	79		RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
79	80		hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously
80	81		award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Marcelino Serna in
81	82		recognition of his valiant efforts during World War I and to William
82	83		Ray Flores in recognition of his heroism during the sinking of the
83	84		USCGC Blackthorn.
84		-	______________________________ ______________________________
85		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
86		-	______________________________ ______________________________
87		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
88		-	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 50 was adopted by the Senate
89		-	on May 21, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
90		-	______________________________
91		-	Secretary of the Senate
92		-	I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 50 was adopted by the House
93		-	on May 29, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0,
94		-	one present not voting.
95		-	______________________________
96		-	Chief Clerk of the House
97		-	Approved:
98		-	______________________________
99		-	Date
100		-	______________________________
101		-	Governor