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                                                                  H.R. No. 224



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, A memorial marker is being dedicated on May 31, 
2004, at the Texas State Cemetery in honor of Colonel Thomas 
Jonathan Jackson Christian, Jr., of the United States Army Air 
Force, who gave up his life in the service of his country on August 
12, 1944; and
	WHEREAS, Born in San Francisco on November 19, 1915, to 
Brigadier General Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian, Sr., and 
Bertha Marguerite Cook, Col. Christian was the great-grandson of 
Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson and a 
third-generation graduate of the United States Military Academy at 
West Point in 1939; and
	WHEREAS, After enlisting in the Army Air Corps, Col. 
Christian received his training as a pilot in Texas at the Air Corps 
Primary Flying School at Love Field in Dallas and the Air Corps 
Training Center at Randolph Field in San Antonio; he also gave 
flying lessons at the Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Kelly 
Field in San Antonio; and
	WHEREAS, Col. Christian was stationed at Clark Field in the 
Philippines when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor in December 
1941; this courageous soldier transferred to the 1st Air Group at 
Guadalcanal, where he flew more than 60 hours in combat missions; on 
one of those missions, he was shot down and declared missing in 
action, but later returned to his unit after surviving in the 
jungles of the South Pacific; for his extraordinary heroism in 
combat, Col. Christian was awarded the Silver Star; and
	WHEREAS, On January 2, 1943, after returning to Texas, he 
married Marjorie Lou Ashcroft, whom he had met while in Dallas, but 
was soon transferred to England where he commanded the 361st 
Fighting Group, which he had formed and trained; he flew more than 
70 combat missions throughout Europe, was awarded the Distinguished 
Service Cross, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart, and, in March 
1944, was promoted to the rank of colonel; and
	WHEREAS, Two months prior, Col. Christian had become a father 
when his daughter, Lou Ellen, was born in Dallas, Texas, in January 
1944; although he never met her, Col. Christian named each of his 
fighter planes in honor of his beloved infant girl; on his last 
bombing mission, he was flying the "Lou IV" over Arras, France, when 
he was killed in action; Col. Christian's body was never recovered, 
but he has been honored with a cenotaph in the Texas State Cemetery; 
and
	WHEREAS, It is most fitting that the exemplary patriotism and 
valor demonstrated by this World War II hero be recognized on 
Memorial Day, as the citizens of our state and nation gather 
together to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have nobly 
sacrificed their lives in the service of our country; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby honor the life and memory 
of Colonel Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian, Jr.; and, be it 
further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for his daughter, Lou Ellen Wilson Loving of Austin, and 
that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it 
do so in the memory of Colonel Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian, 
Jr.

                                                                          Baxter


                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 224 was unanimously adopted by a 
rising vote of the House on May 17, 2004.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House