By Jones of Dallas                                    H.C.R. No. 96
       74R5905 BNL-D
                                 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.