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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Among our state's many notable attractions, few have |
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played a more prominent role during times of war than the famed |
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Battleship Texas, which sits moored at the San Jacinto Battleground |
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under the care of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; and |
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WHEREAS, The Battleship Texas Foundation endeavors to raise |
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funds to restore and maintain this historic vessel; made up of |
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retired military personnel, business leaders, and concerned |
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community volunteers, the foundation's board is dedicated to |
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preserving the historical and educational significance of the |
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Battleship Texas through efforts ranging from the popular Youth |
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Overnight Program to the regularly scheduled Hard Hat Tours; and |
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WHEREAS, Commissioned on March 12, 1914, the "Mighty T" was |
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considered to be the most powerful weapon in the world when it was |
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launched on May 18, 1912; the ship served in both World War I and |
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World War II and saw action off the North African coast near |
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Morocco, at Normandy on D-Day, and at Iwo Jima and Okinawa in the |
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Pacific Theater before being decommissioned on April 21, 1948; |
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suffering only one combat casualty in its many campaigns, the Texas |
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earned the nickname the Lucky Ship; and |
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WHEREAS, The Battleship Texas was a harbinger of America's |
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rise as an industrialized nation on the verge of becoming a world |
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power; in 1916, it became the first U.S. battleship to mount |
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antiaircraft guns as well as the first to employ directors and |
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range-keepers to control gunfire; other firsts followed, as the |
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Texas became the first U.S. battleship to launch an airplane, in |
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1919, and the first navy ship to be fitted for commercial radar, in |
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1939; and |
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WHEREAS, A National Historic Landmark and the flagship of the |
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Texas Navy, the Battleship Texas is a living memorial to the brave |
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men who served aboard it over the course of more than three decades; |
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even in repose, it continues to play an important role in the lives |
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of Texans and other Americans, and the Battleship Texas Foundation |
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deserves recognition for its ongoing efforts to preserve this vital |
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link to our nation's past; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the Battleship Texas Foundation for its |
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care and restoration of the Battleship Texas and express |
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appreciation to those individuals and groups who support the |
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foundation in its important work; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the members of the Battleship Texas Foundation as an |
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expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |