1-1     By:  Ellis (Senate Sponsor - Ogden)                  H.C.R. No. 176
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 23, 2001;
 1-3     April 24, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Veteran Affairs and Military Installations; May 3, 2001, reported
 1-5     favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 3, 2001, sent
 1-6     to printer.)
 1-7                         HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-8           WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
 1-9     by the 58th Texas Legislature to honor gallant and intrepid service
1-10     by a member of the state military forces of Texas, and through his
1-11     courageous actions during battle in World War II, Colonel M. B.
1-12     Etheredge of Huntsville distinguished himself as a worthy recipient
1-13     of this prestigious honor; and
1-14           WHEREAS, Raised in East Texas, Col. Etheredge was serving as
1-15     superintendent of a small school district in Damon when the United
1-16     States entered the war; resigning his position, he enlisted in the
1-17     army as a private in 1942; after completing basic training he was
1-18     sent to noncommissioned officers' school and, after only eight days
1-19     there, to officers' candidate school in Fort Benning, Georgia,
1-20     where he graduated on February 5, 1943; and
1-21           WHEREAS, On the night of March 12-13, 1944, Col. Etheredge
1-22     was assistant commander of a combat patrol when it came under heavy
1-23     machine-gun fire north of Carano, Italy; disregarding the bullets
1-24     flying all about him, he personally led his squad in a successful
1-25     assault on the machine gun; when a second machine gun erupted, he
1-26     again braved the barrage as he directed his men in laying down
1-27     fire, allowing the main part of the patrol to advance against the
1-28     gun and silence it; and
1-29           WHEREAS, Farther along, a third strong point opened heavy
1-30     fire; once more, Col. Etheredge moved about aggressively in the
1-31     midst of this attack, developing a strong firing line and enabling
1-32     the main body of the patrol to skirt the house and continue on its
1-33     mission; altogether, the patrol killed at least 10 Germans,
1-34     captured 12, and knocked out two machine guns, and Col. Etheredge's
1-35     remarkable gallantry and leadership in this operation earned for
1-36     him a Silver Star; and
1-37           WHEREAS, Two months later, on May 23, 1944, in Italy, Col.
1-38     Etheredge immediately took charge of Company "K," 30th Infantry
1-39     Regiment, when the commanding officer and other key personnel were
1-40     cut down; deciding to continue the attack, he ignored heavy fire to
1-41     move up and down a ditch for 75 yards, reorganizing his company and
1-42     bolstering its morale; though wounded in the leg, he then led his
1-43     men running and crawling into the face of steady small arms fire
1-44     for some 550 yards, rested them for 10 minutes, and then resumed
1-45     the assault, advancing another 250 yards, overrunning the objective
1-46     and organizing an all-around defensive position; and
1-47           WHEREAS, Col. Etheredge's actions were instrumental in
1-48     securing a vital battalion target, relieving pressure on two flank
1-49     companies, and opening a way for a third company to advance; his
1-50     critical role in this day's action was rewarded with the appendage
1-51     of an oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star; and
1-52           WHEREAS, Col. Etheredge subsequently commanded Company "K" in
1-53     France; there, on August 16, 1944, he once again exposed himself to
1-54     gunfire in the course of significantly assisting the American
1-55     advance; he was sitting atop a tank destroyer, directing its fire
1-56     at German-held buildings 200 yards distant, when he barely escaped
1-57     a machine-gun fusillade; and
1-58           WHEREAS, A platoon flanking the building then fell into
1-59     disarray and Col. Etheredge dashed across 75 yards of open ground
1-60     through more machine-gun fire to reorganize the group; choosing a
1-61     route that skirted the barbed wire outside the buildings, he next
1-62     led a 50-yard assault that captured 29 enemy soldiers, an anti-tank
1-63     gun, a mortar, large quantities of ammunition, and numerous
1-64     vehicles; in recognition of his bravery and decisive command, he
 2-1     received a second oak leaf cluster; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, During the war Col. Etheredge also received two
 2-3     Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts; he was eventually discharged
 2-4     with the highest efficiency rating of any officer discharged from
 2-5     the Fourth Army; this dauntless soldier later served three terms in
 2-6     the Texas Legislature and taught for 33 years at Sam Houston State
 2-7     University; and
 2-8           WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest
 2-9     commendation Texans can bestow on members of our state military
2-10     forces, and the outstanding valor manifested by Col. Etheredge on
2-11     repeated occasions most assuredly merits the award of our state's
2-12     supreme military honor; now, therefore, be it
2-13           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-14     hereby confer the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on Colonel M. B.
2-15     Etheredge in recognition of his heroic service and express to him
2-16     our deepest appreciation on behalf of all his fellow Texans; and,
2-17     be it further
2-18           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
2-19     prepared for Col. Etheredge as an expression of highest regard by
2-20     the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.
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