H.C.R. No. 96 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Throughout the trying days of World War II, the 1-2 American fighting effort was augmented by the heroic actions of 1-3 numerous minority service personnel, yet their contributions have 1-4 rarely been singled out for praise and recognition; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Appropriate historical attention has been given to 1-6 only a few select groups, such as the Navajo and Lakota radio 1-7 operators who transmitted vital information in their native 1-8 languages, thus foiling Japanese eavesdropping attempts; and 1-9 WHEREAS, The actions of minority veterans have been largely 1-10 overlooked by history books and media retrospectives despite the 1-11 fact that their work was instrumental to the Allied war effort; 1-12 they served with distinction in combat and in other critical fields 1-13 such as transportation, communication, and engineering, and without 1-14 their integral participation, many battles--and perhaps the war 1-15 itself--could have been lost; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Hispanic and Native American personnel were 1-17 integrated into existing units, but black and Japanese-American 1-18 personnel were placed in segregated units; yet the racial tensions 1-19 of that era did not prevent these patriots from executing their 1-20 duties with integrity and pride, and their individual and 1-21 collective efforts had a tremendous impact; and 1-22 WHEREAS, Segregated transportation units worked around the 1-23 clock to keep supply lines open, while several black combat units 1-24 participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the most pivotal 2-1 battle of the war; highly decorated Japanese-American units 2-2 distinguished themselves on the battlefields of Europe and an 2-3 all-black tank battalion played a crucial role in General George 2-4 Patton's victories; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Yet that tank battalion was not depicted in the 2-6 widely acclaimed motion picture Patton, and this failure to 2-7 acknowledge the contributions of America's minority veterans was 2-8 continued in 1994 as our nation marked the 50th anniversary of many 2-9 milestones of World War II; this reluctance to acknowledge the role 2-10 of minority soldiers and units may stem from an unwillingness to 2-11 revisit the military's former practice of racial segregation, but 2-12 ignoring the work of minority veterans is insulting to the many 2-13 brave men and women who fought and died in that war; and 2-14 WHEREAS, There is no way to repay our nation's veterans for 2-15 their invaluable and selfless service to the United States, so we 2-16 must therefore consider it our most sacred obligation to honor them 2-17 with our appreciation, admiration, and respect; the minority 2-18 veterans who fought overseas 50 years ago should not have to fight 2-19 now for the recognition and thanks they so richly deserve; now, 2-20 therefore, be it 2-21 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-22 hereby commend America's minority veterans of World War II for 2-23 their outstanding service, courage, and heroism during that 2-24 conflict and extend to them our deepest gratitude for their 2-25 sacrifice.