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                                                                  H.R. No. 284



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Lieutenant General Bruce Carlson has been named 
honorary balloonmeister for the 2005 Great Texas Balloon Race, and 
his selection for this tribute is in keeping with this year's 
patriotic theme, "A Salute to the Military"; and
	WHEREAS, General Carlson currently serves as commander of the 
8th Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Joint 
Functional Component Commander for Space and Global Strike, 
U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; and
	WHEREAS, A native of Hibbing, Minnesota, and a skilled and 
experienced pilot, General Carlson oversees the war-fighting 
capability and the operational readiness of the "Mighty Eighth's" 
B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers, as well as several 
other planes piloted by members of the 8th Air Force; and
	WHEREAS, General Carlson is an accomplished graduate of the 
University of Minnesota's Air Force ROTC program; he was 
commissioned in 1971 and is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Fighter 
Weapons School; he also holds master of arts degrees from Webster 
University and the Naval War College; and
	WHEREAS, The Great Texas Balloon Race takes place on July 
8-10, 2005, at the East Texas Regional Airport in Longview; the race 
was created in 1978 by world-record-holding hot air balloon pilot 
Dr. Bill Bussey, D.D.S., and Longview Mall managers Frankie Parson 
Riggins and Mary LeTourneau as a promotional event to mark the grand 
opening of Longview Mall, and through the years it has grown to 
become the premier hot air balloon race in Texas; and
	WHEREAS, General Carlson joins a long list of distinguished 
individuals who have served as honorary balloonmeister at the Great 
Texas Balloon Race, and his participation in this unique event will 
undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience for this respected 
military leader; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby recognize Lieutenant 
General Bruce Carlson for his service as honorary balloonmeister at 
the 2005 Great Texas Balloon Race and commend him for his 
distinguished service to this nation; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for General Carlson as an expression of high regard by the 
Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                         Merritt

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 284 was adopted by the House on July 
19, 2005, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House