Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR505 Compare Versions

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1	1	SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 505
2	2	WHEREAS, The courageous service of U.S. Army Captain Henry
3	3	T. Waskow of Belton during World War II has inspired his fellow
4	4	Americans for nearly 80 years; and
5	5	WHEREAS, In January 1944, The Washington Daily News ran a
6	6	profoundly moving dispatch by legendary World War II
7	7	correspondent Ernie Pyle on its front page; the story related the
8	8	tragic death of Captain Waskow, who led B Company of the 1st
9	9	Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, and had earned the
10	10	tremendous respect, loyalty, and affection of the men under his
11	11	command before being killed in action; and
12	12	WHEREAS, Captain Waskow first experienced combat during
13	13	the landings in Salerno, Italy, in September 1943; subsequently,
14	14	his company fought in the mountains of southern Italy, enduring
15	15	miserable, freezing conditions; he impressed his men with his
16	16	efficiency and his calm demeanor, even under artillery and
17	17	machine gun fire; on December 14, during the ferocious battle for
18	18	San Pietro, he was leading his men from a tree line to attack a
19	19	German position when he heard an incoming artillery shell; he
20	20	shoved his radio operator, crying "Hit the ground!," but he was
21	21	cut down himself by a piece of shrapnel; and
22	22	WHEREAS, When it was at last possible for the radio
23	23	operator to bring Captain Waskow's body back down the mountain
24	24	three days later, Mr. Pyle witnessed the final farewells of the
25	25	captain's grief-stricken men and wrote, "In this war I have known
26	26	a lot of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers
27	27	under them. But never have I crossed the trail of any man as
28	28	beloved as Captain Henry T. Waskow of Belton, Texas"; the
29	29	heartbreaking account, syndicated by the Scripps-Howard news
30	30	service and read over the radio, resonated powerfully with the
31	31	American public as an illustration of humble nobility and the
32	32	strong bonds of camaraderie forged in wartime; and
33	33	WHEREAS, Henry T. Waskow was born in DeWitt County on
34	34	September 24, 1918, to Frank and Mary Waskow, first-generation
35	35	Americans of German descent; he grew up on a farm in Bell County
36	36	with seven siblings; quiet, serious, dutiful, and industrious,
37	37	he graduated as president of his class at Belton High School and
38	38	attended Temple Junior College before working his way through
39	39	Trinity University as a campus janitor; he enlisted in the Texas
40	40	National Guard while preparing for a career in teaching, and
41	41	after he was called to active duty, he rose quickly through the
42	42	ranks; in January 1943, he was promoted to captain, and his
43	43	division was deployed to Algeria that April; and
44	44	WHEREAS, Captain Waskow's grave near Nettuno, Italy, has
45	45	been visited by countless people, and he is not forgotten at
46	46	home; VFW Post No. 4008 in Belton and the Belton New Tech High
47	47	School @Waskow are named in his honor; and
48	48	WHEREAS, Exemplifying the highest ideals of the U.S. armed
49	49	forces, Captain Henry T. Waskow has long been revered as a moving
50	50	example of the heroism demonstrated by American service members
51	51	as well as the sacrifices made in defense of our nation, and it is
52	52	indeed fitting to further honor his memory by commemorating the
53	53	anniversary of his birth; now, therefore, be it
54	54	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas 88th
55	55	Legislature, hereby recognize September 24, 2023, as Captain
56	56	Henry T. Waskow Day.
57	57	Flores
58	58	________________________________
59	59	President of the Senate
60	60	I hereby certify that the
61	61	above Resolution was adopted by
62	62	the Senate on May 2, 2023.
63	63	________________________________
64	64	Secretary of the Senate
65	65	________________________________
66	66	Member, Texas Senate