H.R. No. 1074
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, From 1945 to 1991, the world witnessed a military,
economic, and ideological confrontation known as the Cold War;
waged most prominently by the United States and the Soviet Union,
the struggle involved almost every nation on earth to some degree
and had a profound impact on the course of world history over the
latter half of the 20th century; and
WHEREAS, Although the Cold War never erupted into a
full-scale armed conflict between the world's superpowers, it gave
impetus to a number of localized hot wars, as well as to a massive,
long-term arms race; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the Cold War, the State of Texas played a
significant role in this country's military preparedness,
contributing personnel to the armed forces, serving as the site of
important military facilities, and providing material support by
way of private industry; and
WHEREAS, Tens of thousands of Texans served in the military
during the course of the Cold War, and many made the ultimate
sacrifice; Texan losses in Korea, from 1950 to 1957, numbered
1,719, and in Vietnam, 3,415; and
WHEREAS, The state currently has 16 military installations
that figured notably in the country's defense system during the
period of the Cold War; moreover, Texas was home to Nike and Atlas
Ballistic Missile silos, as well as to Strategic Air Command units
at Biggs, Carswell, Sheppard, Dyess, Amarillo, and Bergstrom Air
Force Bases; other air force bases located in the state during that
time included Brooks, Goodfellow, Kelly, Lackland, Laredo,
Laughlin, Randolph, Reese, and Webb; and
WHEREAS, All 15 of those air force facilities constituted
first-strike targets for the Soviet military; secondary targets in
Texas included Beeville, Corpus Christi, Kingsville,
Sherman-Denison, Texarkana, Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, and the Houston
petrochemical complex; and
WHEREAS, Many industrial enterprises in Texas made vital
contributions during the Cold War years; the state's oil industry
had a major role in supplying the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,
while a number of key defense contractors were either based in Texas
or had large Texas operations; among such companies were Texas
Instruments, Lockheed, EDS, Bell Helicopter, and Textron; and
WHEREAS, One dimension of the Cold War involved a race for
leadership in space exploration; crucial to American efforts in
this arena was the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the NASA
headquarters for manned spaceflight; and
WHEREAS, Eight successive American presidents grappled with
the challenges of the Cold War; two of these--Dwight D. Eisenhower
and Lyndon B. Johnson--were born in Texas and led the nation during
the Korean War and Vietnam War, respectively; and
WHEREAS, Military veterans of the Cold War have continued to
contribute to this country as private citizens and as public
servants; a number of them have been elected to leadership posts at
both the state and national levels; and
WHEREAS, It is essential that the history of the Cold War
decades be preserved, for the events of that time touched the lives
of millions of people and helped to set the stage for the 21st
century; in reflecting on that long and difficult confrontation, it
is also fitting that tribute be paid to the men and women of the
United States armed forces, who served selflessly and heroically in
that epic struggle; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize May 1, 2005, as Cold War Victory Day
and extend to all Cold War veterans of the American military sincere
appreciation for their exemplary service.
Callegari
Escobar
Craddick Geren Menendez
Allen of Harris Giddings Merritt
Allen of Dallas Gonzales Miller
Alonzo Gonzalez Toureilles Moreno of Harris
Anchia Goodman Moreno of El Paso
Anderson Goolsby Morrison
Bailey Griggs Mowery
Baxter Grusendorf Naishtat
Berman Guillen Nixon
Blake Haggerty Noriega
Bohac Hamilton Oliveira
Bonnen Hamric Olivo
Branch Hardcastle Orr
Brown of Kaufman Harper-Brown Otto
Brown of Brazos Hartnett Paxton
Burnam Hegar Pena
Callegari Herrero Phillips
Campbell Hilderbran Pickett
Casteel Hill Pitts
Castro Hochberg Puente
Chavez Hodge Quintanilla
Chisum Homer Raymond
Coleman Hope Reyna
Cook of Navarro Hopson Riddle
Cook of Colorado Howard Ritter
Corte Hughes Rodriguez
Crabb Hunter Rose
Crownover Hupp Seaman
Davis of Harris Isett Smith of Tarrant
Davis of Dallas Jackson Smith of Harris
Dawson Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Delisi Jones of Dallas Solis
Denny Keel Solomons
Deshotel Keffer of Dallas Strama
Driver Keffer of Eastland Straus
Dukes King of Parker Swinford
Dunnam King of Zavala Talton
Dutton Kolkhorst Taylor
Edwards Krusee Thompson
Eiland Kuempel Truitt
Eissler Laney Turner
Elkins Laubenberg Uresti
Escobar Leibowitz Van Arsdale
Farabee Luna Veasey
Farrar Madden Villarreal
Flores Martinez Vo
Flynn Martinez Fischer West
Frost McCall Wong
Gallego McClendon Woolley
Gattis McReynolds Zedler
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1074 was adopted by the House on April
29, 2005, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House