By:  Ellis                                                      H.C.R. No. 27 



HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established 
by the 58th Texas Legislature to honor gallant and intrepid service 
by a member of the state military forces of Texas, and through his 
courageous actions during battle in World War II, Colonel M. B. 
Etheredge of Huntsville distinguished himself as a worthy recipient 
of this prestigious honor; and
	WHEREAS, Raised in East Texas, Col. Etheredge was serving as 
superintendent of a small school district in Damon when the United 
States entered the war; resigning his position, he enlisted in the 
army as a private in 1942; after completing basic training he was 
sent to noncommissioned officers' school and, after only eight days 
there, to officers' candidate school in Fort Benning, Georgia, 
where he graduated on February 5, 1943; and
	WHEREAS, On the night of March 12-13, 1944, Col. Etheredge 
was assistant commander of a combat patrol when it came under heavy 
machine-gun fire north of Carano, Italy; disregarding the bullets 
flying all about him, he personally led his squad in a successful 
assault on the machine gun; when a second machine gun erupted, he 
again braved the barrage as he directed his men in laying down fire, 
allowing the main part of the patrol to advance against the gun and 
silence it; and
	WHEREAS, Farther along, a third strong point opened heavy 
fire; once more, Col. Etheredge moved about aggressively in the 
midst of this attack, developing a strong firing line and enabling 
the main body of the patrol to skirt the house and continue on its 
mission; altogether, the patrol killed at least 10 Germans, 
captured 12, and knocked out two machine guns, and Col. Etheredge's 
remarkable gallantry and leadership in this operation earned for 
him a Silver Star; and
	WHEREAS, Two months later, on May 23, 1944, in Italy, Col. 
Etheredge immediately took charge of Company "K," 30th Infantry 
Regiment, when the commanding officer and other key personnel were 
cut down; deciding to continue the attack, he ignored heavy fire to 
move up and down a ditch for 75 yards, reorganizing his company and 
bolstering its morale; though wounded in the leg, he then led his 
men running and crawling into the face of steady small arms fire for 
some 550 yards, rested them for 10 minutes, and then resumed the 
assault, advancing another 250 yards, overrunning the objective and 
organizing an all-around defensive position; and
	WHEREAS, Col. Etheredge's actions were instrumental in 
securing a vital battalion target, relieving pressure on two flank 
companies, and opening a way for a third company to advance; his 
critical role in this day's action was rewarded with the appendage 
of an oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star; and
	WHEREAS, Col. Etheredge subsequently commanded Company "K" 
in France; there, on August 16, 1944, he once again exposed himself 
to gunfire in the course of significantly assisting the American 
advance; he was sitting atop a tank destroyer, directing its fire at 
German-held buildings 200 yards distant, when he barely escaped a 
machine-gun fusillade; and
	WHEREAS, A platoon flanking the building then fell into 
disarray and Col. Etheredge dashed across 75 yards of open ground 
through more machine-gun fire to reorganize the group; choosing a 
route that skirted the barbed wire outside the buildings, he next 
led a 50-yard assault that captured 29 enemy soldiers, an anti-tank 
gun, a mortar, large quantities of ammunition, and numerous 
vehicles; in recognition of his bravery and decisive command, he 
received a second oak leaf cluster; and
	WHEREAS, During the war Col. Etheredge also received two 
Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts; he was eventually discharged 
with the highest efficiency rating of any officer discharged from 
the Fourth Army; this dauntless soldier later served three terms in 
the Texas Legislature and taught for 33 years at Sam Houston State 
University; and
	WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest 
commendation Texans can bestow on members of our state military 
forces, and the outstanding valor manifested by Col. Etheredge on 
repeated occasions most assuredly merits the award of our state's  
supreme military honor; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 78th Legislature of the State of Texas 
hereby confer the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on Colonel M. B. 
Etheredge in recognition of his heroic service and express to him 
our deepest appreciation on behalf of all his fellow Texans; and, be 
it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Col. Etheredge as an expression of highest regard by 
the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.