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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of a highly respected war correspondent and |
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author drew to a close with the passing of Joe Galloway on |
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August 18, 2021, at the age of 79; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on November 13, 1941, in Refugio, Joseph Lee |
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Galloway Jr. was the son of Joseph Galloway Sr. and Marian Dewvell |
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Galloway; less than a month after his birth, the Japanese attack on |
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Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, and his |
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father and many of his uncles joined the military; concern about |
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their well-being colored his family life throughout his early |
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childhood and influenced his later decision to become a wartime |
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journalist; and |
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WHEREAS, After first being hired by The Advocate newspaper in |
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Victoria at age 17, Mr. Galloway went to work for United Press |
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International, and his foreign assignments for the company |
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ultimately included postings to Japan, Indonesia, India, |
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Singapore, and Russia; as the possibility of direct U.S. military |
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intervention in Vietnam grew larger in the early 1960s, he made |
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repeated requests to be transferred to the country; in April 1965, |
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he got his wish, arriving in Saigon shortly after the first U.S. |
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combat troops were deployed; and |
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WHEREAS, Thrust into a war zone as a young reporter, |
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Mr. Galloway became both a firsthand witness and a participant in |
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one of the war's major battles; during the four-day clash at Ia |
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Drang in November 1965, he was embedded with the 1st Battalion, 7th |
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Cavalry Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harold |
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Moore; he armed himself as he accompanied the troops through the |
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jungles of Vietnam's Central Highlands, and he would later be |
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recognized with a Bronze Star with "V" device for his heroism in |
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rescuing wounded soldiers under enemy fire; he was the only |
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civilian to be awarded an army medal of valor for actions in combat |
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during that conflict; and |
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WHEREAS, Though he grew disillusioned with the war, |
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Mr. Galloway strove to report on the events that transpired with |
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accuracy and objectivity, and he developed a deep sense of loyalty |
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and appreciation for the soldiers who were risking their lives on |
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the battlefield; the close friendship that he formed with Harold |
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Moore, who was later promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, |
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would lead to their collaboration on the book We Were Soldiers |
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Once . . . and Young, which was published in 1992 and adapted into |
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the film We Were Soldiers; the book drew on articles Mr. Galloway |
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had authored on the Battle of Ia Drang for U.S. News & World Report, |
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and his writing in that series was honored with a National Magazine |
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Award in 1991; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Galloway and General Moore subsequently worked |
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together on a sequel, We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the |
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Battlefields of Vietnam, that was published in 2008; in the forward |
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of that book, Mr. Galloway was hailed by General H. Norman |
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Schwarzkopf, commander of allied forces in the Persian Gulf War, as |
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"the finest combat correspondent of our generation--a soldier's |
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reporter and a soldier's friend"; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Galloway's journalism career also included |
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assignments for Knight Ridder Newspapers; in 2003, he was among a |
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group of reporters with that company who challenged the George W. |
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Bush administration about the information that was being used to |
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justify the invasion of Iraq; this incident was later dramatized in |
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the 2017 film Shock and Awe; an outspoken critic of war, |
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Mr. Galloway was equally a steadfast supporter of American soldiers |
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and veterans, who he believed deserved the full measure of funding |
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that was needed to help them after they returned to their civilian |
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lives; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Galloway enjoyed the love |
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and support of his wife, Dr. Grace Lim Galloway; his family |
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included two sons, Lee and Josh, and a stepdaughter, Li Mei, along |
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with five grandchildren, Joaquin, Julian, Jemma, Connor, and Jae |
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Li; and |
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WHEREAS, Joe Galloway's career was defined by his deep |
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empathy for the sacrifices made by military service members and his |
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enduring dedication to journalistic integrity, and he leaves behind |
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a remarkable legacy that will continue to be admired for years to |
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come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of |
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Joseph Lee Galloway Jr. and extend sincere condolences to his |
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relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joe |
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Galloway. |