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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Family, friends, and fellow veterans will forever |
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treasure their memories of retired Brigadier General William |
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Corinth Bacon of Comfort, who died on March 8, 2008, at the age of |
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88; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Dr. W. T. Bacon and Sally Maxie Bacon, |
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William Bacon gave up opportunities to play professional baseball |
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and to attend West Point in order to join the United States Army |
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Flying Cadet Program in September 1940; after training as a pilot at |
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Kelly Field in Texas and receiving his commission as a second |
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lieutenant, he was assigned to the 15th Observation Squadron at |
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Fort Sill, Oklahoma; in 1942, he joined the 344th Squadron of the |
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98th Bomb Group and began training for combat in World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, This brave officer saw action in the Middle East and |
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Europe, flying 40 combat missions as a bomber pilot and earning |
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acclaim for his skill and tenacity in the cockpit; on one mission, |
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he lost the hydraulic systems and rudder control on his aircraft but |
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kept his plane aloft and shot down an enemy fighter on his way back |
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to base, where he landed safely with no loss of life to his crew; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the war, General Bacon attended the Air |
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War College in 1947 and then became commander of the 6th Bombardment |
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Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base; he subsequently served as |
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chief of the plans and programs branch for the director of plans and |
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operations at Air Force headquarters; throughout the 1950s, he held |
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a number of positions in Asia and the United States and returned to |
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Davis-Monthan AFB in 1958 as commander of the 303rd Bombardment |
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Wing; in the 1960s, he was the commander of the 12th and the 22nd |
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Strategic Aerospace Divisions; and |
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WHEREAS, During the course of his military career, General |
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Bacon's gallantry under fire and his dedication to duty earned him |
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an impressive list of commendations, including the Silver Star, the |
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Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf |
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cluster, the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army |
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Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal; and |
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WHEREAS, After his retirement from military service, General |
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Bacon raised cattle for 30 years on his Arrow-B Ranch in Welfare; he |
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became a licensed veterinarian and an expert horseman as well as a |
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welcome and generous neighbor to many in the Hill Country; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1990s, General Bacon founded the Hill Country |
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Veterans Council in order to keep the Kerrville Veterans |
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Administration Hospital from being closed, and he served as the |
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organization's president for three years; the council worked |
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tirelessly to achieve their goal and ultimately were successful in |
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keeping the facility open; and |
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WHEREAS, General Bill Bacon was both a tough military |
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commander and a warmhearted friend, known for his acts of kindness |
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and his salty sense of humor; his dedication to his country, his |
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community, and to those who served in the U.S. armed forces commands |
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deep respect, and the admirable example of his life will long be |
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remembered; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Brigadier General |
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William Corinth Bacon and offer sincere condolences to the members |
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of his family: to his wife, Helen Bacon; to his daughters, Kay |
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Aubrey and Kari Bowers; to his sons, William S. Bacon and David G. |
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Bacon; to his grandchildren, Renee Pifer Farris, Margret Bacon |
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Hunter, William Bacon, Clint Bowers, and Lindsey Bowers Williams; |
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to his great-grandchildren, Lexis Pifer Farris, Abigail Bacon, Beau |
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Bacon, Shelby Lipe, Rachel Hunter, and Rylee Nicole Williams; and |
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to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of William |
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Corinth Bacon. |
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Hilderbran |
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| Alvarado |
Gonzales |
Miller of Comal |
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| Anchia |
Gonzalez Toureilles |
Miller of Erath |
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| Aycock |
Gutierrez |
Morrison |
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| Branch |
Harper-Brown |
Ortiz, Jr. |
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| Brown of Kaufman |
Hartnett |
Otto |
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| Brown of Brazos |
Heflin |
Parker |
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| Callegari |
Hilderbran |
Peña |
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| Cohen |
Howard of Fort Bend |
Quintanilla |
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| Coleman |
Howard of Travis |
Raymond |
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| Craddick |
Jackson |
Rodriguez |
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| Crownover |
Keffer |
Sheffield |
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| Davis of Harris |
King of Parker |
Smith of Tarrant |
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| Davis of Dallas |
King of Taylor |
Smith of Harris |
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| Deshotel |
King of Zavala |
Smithee |
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| Driver |
Kleinschmidt |
Solomons |
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| Eiland |
Leibowitz |
Thompson |
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| Elkins |
Lucio III |
Turner of Tarrant |
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| England |
Madden |
Turner of Harris |
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| Farias |
Mallory Caraway |
Veasey |
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| Farrar |
Marquez |
Villarreal |
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| Flores |
Martinez Fischer |
Walle |
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| Gallego |
McReynolds |
Zerwas |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 37 was unanimously adopted by a rising |
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vote of the House on February 26, 2009. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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