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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A life ennobled by courage and years of service to |
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his nation has ended with the death of retired U.S. Army colonel and |
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Medal of Honor recipient James L. Stone of Arlington on November 9, |
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2012, at the age of 89; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of State and Idell Stone, James Lamar Stone |
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was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on December 27, 1922, and raised |
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in Hot Springs; he studied at the University of Arkansas, where he |
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was a member of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps; after |
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graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and zoology in |
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1947, he joined the General Electric Company in Houston; he |
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answered his nation's call to duty in 1948, and after receiving |
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training at Fort Ord, was sent to Korea as a first lieutenant with |
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the Eighth Cavalry Regiment of the First Cavalry Division in 1951; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, On November 21, 1951, Lieutenant Stone was |
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commanding a platoon on a hill overlooking the Imjin River when his |
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position came under attack at nine o'clock in the evening by the |
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Chinese Army; throughout the night, Lieutenant Stone and the 48 men |
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in his unit fought a desperate struggle against a force that swelled |
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to approximately 800 attackers; and |
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WHEREAS, After a flamethrower malfunctioned and its operator |
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was killed, Lieutenant Stone repaired it under fire, and then, |
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taking charge of his command's only working machine gun, he moved |
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from position to position to fend off the enemy; with half of his |
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men dead, he ordered the rest to retreat while he remained behind to |
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cover them; in the course of the fighting, he was wounded twice in |
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the leg and once in the neck; and |
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WHEREAS, Near daybreak, Lieutenant Stone and six other |
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wounded Americans were taken prisoner by the Chinese; when American |
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forces recovered the position later that day, they counted 545 dead |
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enemy soldiers; Lieutenant Stone spent 22 months as a prisoner of |
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war before being freed in a prisoner exchange in September 1953; in |
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October of that same year, he was presented with the Medal of Honor |
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by President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and |
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WHEREAS, This brave soldier continued to serve his nation as |
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a career army officer; following a period of time in Germany, he was |
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reassigned to Texas, where he administered ROTC units in the Fort |
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Worth area, and in 1971 he served a tour of duty in Vietnam; after |
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nearly 30 years in the military, he retired at the rank of colonel; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Preceded in death by his first wife, Jane Dickenson |
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Stone, Colonel Stone was fortunate to find love again with his |
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second wife, the former Mary Lou Hickman; he was the father of two |
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sons, James and Ray; and |
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WHEREAS, Colonel Stone settled in Arlington in 1980, and he |
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worked for a time with his son James in a home-building business; he |
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remained involved in the veterans community, playing an active role |
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in Chapter 215 of the Korean War Veterans Association and in the |
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Legion of Valor and taking part in Veterans Day ceremonies every |
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year at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery; he was a keen |
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baseball fan who delighted in attending Texas Rangers games and in |
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watching his grandson, Stewart, play Little League; he was also a |
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valued member of First United Methodist Church of Arlington; and |
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WHEREAS, Representing the highest ideals of our nation's |
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armed forces, Colonel James Stone not only demonstrated remarkable |
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courage on one fateful night, he expressed his devotion to his |
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country through nearly three decades of service, and the example of |
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his life will forever inspire all those who knew and loved him; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Colonel James |
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L. Stone and extend sincere condolences to the members of his |
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family: to his wife, Mary Lou Stone; to his sons, James L. Stone, |
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Jr., and his wife, Mary, and Ray Stone and his wife, Marta; to his |
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grandson, Stewart; to his stepdaughter, Amy Rodriguez, her husband, |
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Oscar, and their children, Blake and Brittany; and to his other |
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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 Colonel |
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James L. Stone. |
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Patrick |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 977 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on March 27, 2013. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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