| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 88 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, The 100th birthday of an esteemed Texan and World |
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| 6 | 6 | | War II veteran is indeed cause for celebration, and retired U.S. Air |
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| 7 | 7 | | Force Lieutenant Colonel George C. Carruthers of San Marcos marked |
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| 8 | 8 | | that special milestone on October 19, 2023; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, George Carruthers was born in Dallas in 1923, and he |
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| 10 | 10 | | graduated from high school in Tyler and studied at Tyler Junior |
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| 11 | 11 | | College; after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the |
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| 12 | 12 | | U.S. Army Air Corps and served with the 8th Air Force, 305th Bomb |
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| 13 | 13 | | Group, 422nd Bomb Squadron in England as a second lieutenant; and |
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| 14 | 14 | | WHEREAS, On July 14, 1943, Lieutenant Carruthers and his |
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| 15 | 15 | | B-17F Flying Fortress Windy City Challenger crew had completed a |
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| 16 | 16 | | bombing mission when their plane was attacked and crashed near |
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| 17 | 17 | | Lieusaint, France; seven crew members were killed, and Lieutenant |
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| 18 | 18 | | Carruthers and his fellow survivors were interrogated and sent to |
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| 19 | 19 | | the Stalag Luft III camp; in January 1945, Germany ordered its |
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| 20 | 20 | | evacuation, and prisoners of war were transferred to Stalag VII A; |
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| 21 | 21 | | the camp was liberated that same year; in 2010, the City of |
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| 22 | 22 | | Lieusaint dedicated a memorial to the Windy City Challenger crew of |
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| 23 | 23 | | which Lieutenant Carruthers is the last surviving member; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, After the war, Lieutenant Carruthers fulfilled a |
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| 25 | 25 | | number of assignments, and he flew combat missions in Vietnam; he |
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| 26 | 26 | | retired in 1972 at the rank of lieutenant colonel, concluding a |
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| 27 | 27 | | distinguished career of three decades; his many awards include the |
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| 28 | 28 | | Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the World War II |
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| 29 | 29 | | Victory Medal, and in 2023, he was selected for the Order of the |
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| 30 | 30 | | Legion of Honor from France for his World War II service; in all his |
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| 31 | 31 | | endeavors, he has enjoyed the love and support of his wife, |
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| 32 | 32 | | Dr. Marilyn Gaddis; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Over the course of a century, George Carruthers has |
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| 34 | 34 | | not only bravely served his nation but has also met the challenges |
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| 35 | 35 | | and opportunities of a long life with grace and fortitude, and he is |
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| 36 | 36 | | blessed with the deep respect and lasting affection of a host of |
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| 37 | 37 | | loved ones; now, therefore, be it |
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| 38 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 39 | 39 | | Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby congratulate U.S. Air Force |
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| 40 | 40 | | (Ret.) Lieutenant Colonel George C. Carruthers on the joyous |
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| 41 | 41 | | occasion of his 100th birthday and extend to him sincere best wishes |
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| 42 | 42 | | for continued happiness; and, be it further |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 44 | 44 | | prepared for Mr. Carruthers as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 45 | 45 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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| 46 | 46 | | Zwiener |
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| 47 | 47 | | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 49 | 49 | | I certify that H.R. No. 88 was adopted by the House on |
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| 50 | 50 | | November 1, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
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| 51 | 51 | | ______________________________ |
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| 52 | 52 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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