H.R. No. 232
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The family and friends of Private First Class
Clayton Welch Henson of Stanton are mourning the death of this
beloved young man who was killed in Iraq on April 17, 2004, at the
age of 20; and
WHEREAS, Private Henson was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd
Armored Cavalry Regiment, of the United States Army, as an indirect
fire infantryman; he deployed to Iraq in April 2003, and over the
past 12 months he had spent most of his time in Baghdad; and
WHEREAS, At the end of his assignment in Iraq, his tour was
extended for another three months; shortly afterward, Private
Henson sustained mortal injuries when his convoy was ambushed in
the southern part of the country, in the city of Diwaniyah; and
WHEREAS, This courageous Texan was born August 25, 1983, in
Big Spring; he moved to Stanton during his sophomore year and
graduated from Stanton High School, where he played football for
three seasons; and
WHEREAS, After enlisting in the army on August 20, 2002, he
undertook basic training as an infantry mortarman at Fort Benning,
Georgia; he was subsequently made an assistant gunner and assigned
to Fort Polk, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Private Henson was inspired to join the army by a
strong sense of responsibility to this country following the
attacks of September 11, 2001; profoundly affected by what he saw
during his service in Iraq, he planned to pursue a career as a
physical therapist after returning to civilian life; and
WHEREAS, His choice of profession reflected a depth of
compassion, a love of life, and a drive to serve that will be sorely
missed by all who knew and worked with this exceptional soldier; and
WHEREAS, Private Henson earned the National Defense Service
Medal and Army Service Ribbon and was posthumously awarded the
Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, and Combat
Infantryman Badge; and
WHEREAS, For his valiant efforts and immeasurable sacrifice,
Americans owe a debt to Private Clayton Henson that can never be
repaid; his unfaltering devotion to duty, honor, and his country
embodied the highest ideals of the armed forces, and the blessing of
his life will be forever cherished by those who were privileged to
share in his love and friendship; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby pay special tribute to the
life of Private First Class Clayton Welch Henson and extend deepest
sympathy to the members of his family: to his mother and
stepfather, Rosalind and James Lewis; to his father and stepmother,
Randy and Leta Henson; to his sisters, Melissa Henson Leiker, her
husband, Gabe, and their son, Ethan, and Sharon Henson and her
fiancé, Jake Reid; to his brothers, Lex Lewis, Brandon Anderson,
and Kason Anderson and his son, Justin; to his grandparents, Eldon
and Georgia Welch, Jimmy and Janet Henson, Virginia and Chuck
James, Kathleen Lewis, and Jack and Dorothy Stovall; to his
great-grandmothers, Jessie Glaze, Amelia Ory, and Millie St. John;
and to his many other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family, and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Private
First Class Clayton Welch Henson.
Craddick
Craddick Geren Mercer
Allen Giddings Merritt
Alonzo Goodman Miller
Bailey Goolsby Moreno of Harris
Baxter Griggs Moreno of El Paso
Berman Grusendorf Morrison
Bohac Guillen Mowery
Bonnen Gutierrez Naishtat
Branch Haggerty Nixon
Brown of Kaufman Hamilton Noriega
Brown of Brazos Hamric Oliveira
Burnam Hardcastle Olivo
Callegari Harper-Brown Paxton
Campbell Hartnett Pena
Canales Heflin Phillips
Capelo Hegar Pickett
Casteel Hilderbran Pitts
Castro Hill Puente
Chavez Hochberg Quintanilla
Chisum Hodge Raymond
Christian Homer Reyna
Coleman Hope Riddle
Cook of Navarro Hopson Ritter
Cook of Colorado Howard Rodriguez
Corte Hughes Rose
Crabb Hunter Seaman
Crownover Hupp Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Harris
Davis of Dallas Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Dawson Jones of Bexar Solis
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solomons
Denny Keel Stick
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Swinford
Driver Keffer of Eastland Talton
Dukes King Taylor
Dunnam Kolkhorst Telford
Dutton Krusee Thompson
Edwards Kuempel Truitt
Eiland Laney Turner
Eissler Laubenberg Uresti
Elkins Lewis Van Arsdale
Ellis Luna Villarreal
Escobar Mabry West
Farabee Madden Wilson
Farrar Marchant Wise
Flores Martinez Fischer Wohlgemuth
Flynn McCall Wolens
Gallego McClendon Wong
Garza McReynolds Woolley
Gattis Menendez Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 232 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 11, 2004.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House