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HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez has concluded |
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an illustrious military career that saw him rise to the highest |
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ranks of the United States Army and faithfully serve his country for |
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more than 30 years; and |
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WHEREAS, With his retirement in November 2006, General |
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Sanchez has settled in San Antonio, and it is a pleasure to welcome |
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this esteemed commander home to the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, It was in the South Texas town of Rio Grande City |
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that Ricardo Sanchez grew up, and the lessons he learned there about |
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hard work and the value of education helped to shape his later |
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military career; a graduate of Texas A&I University-Kingsville, he |
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was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1973; over |
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the following decades, he distinguished himself in a series of |
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assignments and advanced steadily through the ranks; and |
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WHEREAS, A specialist in armored combat, this valiant officer |
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commanded tank companies and battalions and ably completed a number |
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of other senior-level assignments, with his duties taking him to |
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various foreign countries, including Korea, Germany, and Panama; |
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General Sanchez also honed his skills through studies at the Naval |
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Postgraduate School, where he obtained his master's degree in |
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operations research and systems analysis engineering, the Command |
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and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, he |
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led the 2nd Battalion of the 69th Armor Regiment into combat as part |
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of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield; his |
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battalion contributed to the coalition victory by spearheading the |
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assault of the 24th Infantry Division into Iraq; and |
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WHEREAS, General Sanchez took charge of the 1st Armored |
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Division in 2001 and supervised its deployment for Operation Iraqi |
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Freedom in 2003; in June of that year, he was promoted to the rank of |
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three-star or lieutenant general and assumed command of the Army's |
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V Corps; this assignment placed him in charge of the Combined Joint |
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Task Force in Iraq, and for the next year, Lieutenant General |
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Sanchez helped direct the effort to restore and reconstruct Iraq's |
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infrastructure while overseeing the country's security; and |
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WHEREAS, In establishing his remarkable record of service, |
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Lieutenant General Sanchez received a long list of official |
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commendations, and he may also reflect proudly on his |
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groundbreaking role in the military and in American society as a |
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whole; in his advance to the senior levels of command, he became the |
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highest ranking officer of Latino descent in the U.S. Army; for his |
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myriad achievements and for his steadfast dedication to the |
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nation's security, Ricardo Sanchez is deserving of acclaim and |
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gratitude; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby pay tribute to Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez |
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following his retirement from the U.S. Army and extend to him best |
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wishes for happiness and success as a resident of the Lone Star |
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State; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Lieutenant General Sanchez as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate. |
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Escobar |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 118 was adopted by the House on |
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March 8, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.C.R. No. 118 was adopted by the Senate on |
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April 10, 2007, by a viva-voce vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |