88R33201 BPG-D
By: Dutton H.R. No. 2424
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The 99th birthday of an esteemed Texan is truly
cause for celebration, and C. P. Sloan is celebrating this joyous
occasion on June 1, 2023, to the delight of his family and friends;
and
WHEREAS, Born to Harvey and Margaret Sloan in Navarro County
in 1924, "Buck" Sloan grew up with six siblings; he learned to play
the guitar as a boy, and when his father was forced to sell the
instrument to buy flour during the Great Depression, little Buck
made one out of a cooking oil can in order to keep practicing; his
grandfather then used his first pension check to buy him a $4.98
Silvertone guitar from Sears & Roebuck; the family later moved to
Lufkin, where he began playing with a band called the East Texas Hay
Rakers; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Sloan was inducted into the U.S. Army in
February 1943; a few weeks after the Normandy Landing, he was sent
to help fill in the ranks of the Second Infantry Division, B
Company, 3rd Platoon, 3rd Squad; armed with a Browning Automatic
Rifle, he fought in fierce battles to liberate the city of Brest;
his canteen was shot off, his cheek was grazed by machine gun
bullets, and men died all around him, but he forged on and captured
a group of some 30 German soldiers; on December 18, 1944, during the
Battle of the Bulge, he was severely wounded by a German hand
grenade; among numerous decorations, he received the Purple Heart,
the French Legion of Honor, and five battle stars; and
WHEREAS, Following his demobilization on July 14, 1945,
Mr. Sloan returned home and began performing around Harris County
with such bands as Dee Turner and the Serenaders and Art Stockwell &
the Circle R Ranch Hands; he eventually formed the Buckshots, and
they became the house band at the Hitching Rail; many of the state's
best musicians came to sit in when they were in town, among them
members of the Bob Wills Band; later, the group did a four-year
stint at the Jacinto City Opry; in 2011, Mr. Sloan and his wife,
Shirley, opened their own dancehall, the Buckshot Jamboree, notable
for both the music and their display of collectibles and
memorabilia, including his beloved Silvertone; he was inducted into
both the Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest Hall of Fame
and the Bandera Music History Project Hall of Fame; in 2022, he
returned for the first time to France, where he was formally
welcomed to the Normandy Victory Museum; he also hosted his 46th
Annual Musician's Reunion in Bandera; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of 99 years, Buck Sloan has bravely
served his country and enriched the lives of innumerable people
through his music, and he is a source of inspiration to all who are
fortunate enough to know him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate C. P. "Buck" Sloan on the occasion
of his 99th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes for
continued happiness; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Sloan as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.