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H.C.R. No. 112
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
by the 58th Texas Legislature to recognize gallant and intrepid
service by a member of the state military forces, and through his
courageous actions during battle in World War II, Captain Robert
Thomas Edlin has proven himself worthy of receiving this
prestigious honor; and
WHEREAS, A native of Evansville, Indiana, Captain Edlin was
born on May 6, 1922, into a large, close-knit family that embraced
the highest of American values and ideals; and
WHEREAS, Captain Edlin joined the Indiana National Guard at
the age of 17 in 1939, the year before the first peacetime draft in
the nation's history was instituted; he was promoted to staff
sergeant in April 1941, to second lieutenant in September 1942, and
to first lieutenant in May 1943; after volunteering for the Rangers
in December 1943, Lieutenant Edlin was made a platoon leader in
Company A, Second Ranger Battalion; and
WHEREAS, On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Edlin helped to
lead Company A onto Omaha Beach, receiving debilitating wounds in
both legs; evacuated to England the following day, he rejoined his
platoon in France on July 15, 1944; and
WHEREAS, During the late summer of 1944, the Second Ranger
Battalion was assigned to support the American advance in Britanny;
on September 9, preceding a dawn attack on the antiaircraft Graf
Spee, or Lochrist, battery near the French city of Brest,
Lieutenant Edlin was ordered to lead a four-man reconnaissance
patrol to spot enemy pillboxes and snipers and chart a way through
the minefield surrounding the garrison, the capture of which was
critical in the effort to retake the port city; and
WHEREAS, The patrol navigated a large minefield and
encountered a German pillbox, where Lieutenant Edlin captured the
officer in charge; Lieutenant Edlin then forced the officer to
escort him and his interpreter to the commanding officer of the Graf
Spee battery; and
WHEREAS, On entering the commander's office, Lieutenant
Edlin took a grenade, pulled the pin, and held the grenade to the
commander's stomach, forcing him to surrender the fort, along with
four 280-mm guns, supporting small-arms positions, pillboxes, and
approximately 800 enemy soldiers; and
WHEREAS, Recommended by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl
Rudder, commander of the Second Ranger Battalion, to receive the
Medal of Honor, Lieutenant Edlin refused to accept the medal in
order to avoid being reassigned to a unit within the continental
United States; and
WHEREAS, Lieutenant Edlin was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in battle, and in 1995
he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame; a book recounting his
remarkable military service was published in 2002; and
WHEREAS, This exceptional officer returned to Indiana after
the war and served in the Indiana National Guard from 1948 to 1954,
holding the rank of captain; in 1963, acting on the recommendation
of his former commanding officer, James Rudder, who was then
president of Texas A&M University, Captain Edlin moved to Corpus
Christi; over the years, he has continued to serve his fellow
citizens through his membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and
the Eagles Lodge, as well as through the operation of a successful
family business known as the Edlin Auction House; and
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor is the highest
commendation Texans can bestow for military service, and the
outstanding valor and patriotism manifested by Captain Robert Edlin
most assuredly merit the award of this state's supreme military
distinction; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Captain Robert
Thomas Edlin in recognition of his heroic service and express to him
deepest appreciation on behalf of all his fellow Texans; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby respectfully
request the Honorable Rick Perry, governor of the State of Texas, to
confer the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor on Captain Edlin; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Captain Edlin as an expression of highest regard by the
Texas House of Representatives and Senate.
Corte
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 112 was adopted by the House on
March 16, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.C.R. No. 112 was adopted by the Senate on
March 22, 2005, by a viva-voce vote.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor