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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The American GI Forum, one of the country's leading |
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civil rights organizations, was founded by Mexican American |
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veterans in the aftermath of World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, Mexican Americans have long served with valor in the |
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armed forces of this country, compiling an exceptional record of |
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heroism; in the Second World War alone, 12 Mexican Americans, 9 of |
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them from Texas, earned the Medal of Honor, becoming the nation's |
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most decorated minority group in that conflict; on returning home, |
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however, many Latino veterans found themselves denied benefits that |
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they had earned under the G.I. Bill of Rights; and |
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WHEREAS, To redress that injustice, 700 Hispanic veterans, |
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led by Dr. Hector P. Garcia, founded the American GI Forum in Corpus |
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Christi on March 26, 1948; successful in its efforts to achieve |
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equitable treatment from the Veterans Administration, the forum |
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turned its attention to other veterans' concerns, such as |
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inadequate hospital care and the lack of Mexican American |
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representation on draft boards; and |
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WHEREAS, The forum demonstrated its effectiveness decisively |
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in 1949, when it intervened to help the family of Private Felix |
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Longoria, a soldier who had been killed on a volunteer mission in |
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the Philippines during World War II; when Private Longoria's body |
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was finally recovered and returned to his home in Three Rivers, |
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Texas, the local funeral home refused his family permission to use |
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its chapel for a service; after the forum sought assistance from |
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members of the Texas congressional delegation, Senator Lyndon |
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Johnson arranged for the soldier's burial in Arlington National |
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Cemetery; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1950s, the forum began to use the legal system |
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to combat segregation and other discriminatory practices; forum |
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lawyers helped to secure a landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme |
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Court in Hernandez v. the State of Texas, in 1954, a decision |
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finding that Mexican Americans were discriminated against as a |
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class and that they were entitled to protection under the 14th |
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Amendment; the forum also fought to end separate schooling for |
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Mexican American children, a practice ruled unlawful in 1957; and |
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WHEREAS, During that same decade, the forum conducted voter |
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registration drives, confronted incidents of police brutality, |
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addressed the problems of migrant workers, and sponsored student |
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scholarships; and |
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WHEREAS, The group took the name American GI Forum of Texas on |
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September 29, 1954, and became a national organization in 1958; Dr. |
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Clotilde Garcia, Dr. Hector Garcia's sister, founded a women's |
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auxiliary in 1956, and junior GI forums were also launched in some |
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areas; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the forum embraces more than 500 chapters |
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across the nation and in Puerto Rico; it continues to support |
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returning veterans and their communities through such endeavors as |
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the Veterans Outreach Program, which provides training, |
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employment, and counseling for veterans in the Southwest, and |
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Ser-Jobs for Progress (SER), whose affiliates operate employment |
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training centers and residential and other services in Puerto Rico |
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and the continental U.S.; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than half a century, the American GI Forum |
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has played a vital role in our national life, advancing the cause of |
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social justice and touching the lives of countless Americans, and |
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it is indeed deserving of commendation for its exemplary efforts in |
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furthering the highest ideals of this nation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the American GI Forum on the 59th |
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anniversary of its founding and extend to all those associated with |
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this organization sincere appreciation for their outstanding |
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service; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the American GI Forum as an expression of high regard |
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by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Ortiz, Jr. |
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Herrero |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 988 was adopted by the House on April |
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13, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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