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H.R. No. 1406
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Silver Star Medal is awarded by the United
States of America to soldiers who have demonstrated gallantry in
action while engaged in military operations, involving an
accomplishment that has been performed with exceptional and truly
remarkable bravery; this military decoration is reserved for the
most elite men and women in uniform, and today the members of this
chamber join in remembrance of one such Silver Star recipient,
Captain Russell W. Condon, whose family has traveled here to the
State Capitol on the 38th anniversary of his death; and
WHEREAS, Born on January 8, 1932, Captain Condon was a native
of Humble and a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he served
with distinction as a member of the Corps of Cadets; he joined the
United States Army at the height of the Cold War, quickly earning
the respect of his fellow soldiers and commanding officers; in
addition to receiving letters of commendation for his service to
the U.S. armed forces in Germany, he was presented with a special
letter from President Lyndon B. Johnson that honored his
meritorious service to the United States; and
WHEREAS, In the early 1960s, when his nation issued a call to
arms to serve in Southeast Asia, Captain Condon left behind his
family and friends to bring his much-needed expertise and
leadership skills to the Vietnam front; on May 22, 1965, this
exemplary serviceman had been assigned to serve as an advisor to the
2d Battalion, 48th Infantry Regiment of the Army of the Republic of
Vietnam, when his unit was ambushed by Viet Cong forces; caught in a
devastating firefight, Captain Condon led his unit in a
counterattack and, overwhelmed by fierce resistance, directed an
air strike into the strongholds of the hostile forces; and
WHEREAS, Despite overwhelming odds, Captain Condon
courageously placed himself in a strategically indefensible
position to draw enemy fire away from the main group of withdrawing
friendly troops; he was killed in this battle, giving his own life
to save others; a few weeks after his death, the U.S. Military
Assistance Command in Vietnam posthumously issued to this
courageous soldier the award of the Silver Star, echoing the words
of his surviving colleagues in declaring his gallantry in combat to
be in keeping with the very highest traditions of the U.S. Army; and
WHEREAS, Left to mourn the loss of this 33-year-old officer
was his beloved wife, the former Patricia Brown, whom he married in
1954, as well as the couple's four wonderful young children,
Cheryl, Deborah, Cynthia, and Ralph; although many years have
elapsed since that time, he is still remembered as a devoted husband
and father, as an outstanding soldier, as a man with a quick, dry
wit, and as a Texan of boundless strength, valor, and commitment;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby pay special tribute to the life of Captain
Russell W. Condon and, as we reflect on the accomplishments of this
true Texas hero, also extend warmest best wishes to his family: to
his wife, Patricia Condon of Round Rock; and to his daughters,
Cheryl Ann McVay of Round Rock, Deborah Sue Davidson of Bellevue,
Washington, and Cynthia Lynn Morphew of Austin; 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 Captain
Russell W. Condon of Humble.
Chisum
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. 1406 was unanimously adopted by a
rising vote of the House on May 22, 2003.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House