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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On Veterans Day 2011, Texans across the state are |
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pausing to recognize the courage and dedication of our country's |
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armed forces, and this day provides a fitting occasion to pay |
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tribute to United States Army Corporal Eduardo Pedregon of El Paso, |
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who gave his life as a soldier in the Korean War; and |
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WHEREAS, Eduardo Pedregon joined the army shortly after |
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graduating from high school in 1948; he was only 17 when he secured |
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his parents' consent and enlisted; with the outbreak of the Korean |
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War in June 1950, both he and his brother, Bobby, were deployed to |
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repel the invading North Korean troops; Eduardo Pedregon served |
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with Regimental Combat Team 31, a unit made up of elements from the |
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7th Infantry Division, while Bobby Pedregon served with the 187th |
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Airborne RCT; and |
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WHEREAS, By October 1950, the United Nations forces, led by |
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General Douglas MacArthur and composed primarily of American |
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troops, had pushed the North Koreans back beyond the 38th parallel; |
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the following month, General MacArthur ordered an offensive that |
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was intended to end the war by driving all the way up to the Yalu |
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River, on the border between North Korea and China; Regimental |
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Combat Team 31 was hastily assembled and assigned to protect the |
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eastern flank of the 1st Marine Division as it advanced northwest |
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from the Chosin Reservoir; and |
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WHEREAS, Unbeknownst to American commanders, however, a |
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large number of Chinese troops had infiltrated the area around the |
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reservoir, and on the night of November 27 they launched multiple |
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surprise attacks; the ensuing battle lasted some two and a half |
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weeks and was fought over rugged terrain, in temperatures that fell |
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as low as 35 degrees below zero; although undermanned, owing to the |
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fact that it was lacking one battalion, and spread thin, RCT-31 |
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fought heroically, repelling its adversaries repeatedly before it |
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was ordered to withdraw on December 1; throughout its retreat, |
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RCT-31 endured a continuing, ferocious assault by Chinese troops, |
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who had been directed by Chairman Mao Zedong to annihilate it; in |
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the end, only about 1,000 of the approximately 2,500 Americans in |
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the 3,000-strong unit survived, and of those, only 385 were combat |
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able at the conclusion of the battle; and |
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WHEREAS, Eduardo Pedregon never returned home from the Battle |
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of Chosin Reservoir; last seen on November 30, 1950, he continued to |
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be listed among the missing until army officials notified his |
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family in March 2011 that his remains had been identified; after |
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more than 60 years, his relatives are at last able to give this |
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brave young Texan a proper burial, in Arlington National Cemetery; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, With the release of Chinese records, it has been |
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learned that RCT-31 faced a Chinese force many times larger than had |
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long been thought; some 20,000 Chinese troops, in fact, squared off |
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against Corporal Pedregon's unit; in spite of those overwhelming |
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odds, RCT-31 succeeded in protecting the eastern flank of the 1st |
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Marine Division for four critical days; that delay enabled the |
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marines to fortify a crucial base on the only escape route available |
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to marine and army forces as they retreated to the port city of |
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Hungnam for evacuation; after the full dimensions of what Corporal |
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Pedregon and his fellow soldiers achieved were finally recognized, |
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RCT-31 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation in 2000; and |
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WHEREAS, For his selfless efforts and immeasurable |
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sacrifice, Americans owe a debt to Corporal Eduardo Pedregon that |
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can never be repaid; his unfaltering devotion to duty, honor, and |
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this country embodied the highest ideals of the United States Army |
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and contributed to saving the lives of countless marines and fellow |
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soldiers; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby honor the memory of |
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Corporal Eduardo Pedregon and extend to his family sincere sympathy |
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for his loss and deep gratitude for his valiant service; and, be it |
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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 Corporal |
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Eduardo Pedregon. |