H.R. No. 1513

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Jewel Preston Looney of New Braunfels is visiting
	Washington, D.C., on April 26, 2013, as a guest of the San Antonio
	Alamo Honor Flight, and this occasion represents a fitting
	opportunity to honor this distinguished veteran for his service to
	the nation during World War II; and
	WHEREAS, Born in 1924 in Ravenden Springs, Arkansas,
	J. P. Looney was eager to answer his country's call to duty, and he
	enlisted in the U.S. Army as soon as he came of age; after training
	in California, he was assigned to the 207th Engineer Combat
	Battalion, 1110th Engineer Combat Group, of the First Army, and he
	spent the months before D-day with his unit in southern England,
	preparing for the invasion; and
	WHEREAS, Subsequent to the Normandy landing in June 1944,
	Mr. Looney and the other soldiers of the 207th Battalion took part
	in the massive effort to rebuild, repair, and maintain roads and
	bridges in support of the Allied advance; the battalion worked its
	way through such famous battlegrounds as Saint-Lo and the Ardennes;
	and
	WHEREAS, During November and December 1944, Mr. Looney was
	sent to Liege, Belgium, where members of the 207th were trained in
	the construction of "Bailey bridges," portable, prefabricated
	metal spans that rested on barges; Mr. Looney was taught how to
	captain a tugboat, and he learned to maneuver barges in the rapid
	currents of the Meuse River; while he and his fellow soldiers were
	engaged in this training, the Germans often launched buzz bombs
	into the city; and
	WHEREAS, After the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and
	January 1945, the Wehrmacht destroyed most of the bridges across
	the Rhine as they were driven back into Germany, and the 207th was
	given the mission of building a Bailey bridge across the Rhine at
	Bad Godesberg; designed by General Courtney H. Hodges, the span was
	to be the first two-lane Bailey bridge across the river; it would
	stretch for more than 1,174 feet and be capable of moving 1,000
	vehicles a day; and
	WHEREAS, The 207th Battalion worked to build the bridge out
	from the west bank while another battalion worked from the east;
	Mr. Looney used a tugboat to position the underlying barges,
	working in powerful currents at a time when the water level in the
	Rhine was at an all-time high; after his job was done, he joined the
	forces on the eastern bank to help defend the bridge against German
	attempts to destroy it; and
	WHEREAS, The construction of the bridge began on March 26,
	1945, and the bridge was opened for traffic on April 6; named the
	Hodges Bridge, after its designer, this engineering marvel enabled
	the First Army to move quickly into Germany and played a vital role
	in hastening the end of the war in Europe; on May 8, 1945, just over
	a month after the bridge was commissioned, the Germans surrendered;
	and
	WHEREAS, For his service during the war, Mr. Looney earned
	the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four
	bronze service stars; and
	WHEREAS, Following his discharge from the armed forces,
	Mr. Looney worked in the oil and gas exploration business for a time
	before joining Texas Instruments in Houston; he later helped found
	the Mensor Corporation, which manufactures pressure measuring
	devices; the enterprise has been located in San Marcos since 1978,
	and three generations of Mr. Looney's family have worked for the
	company; and
	WHEREAS, Mr. Looney and his wife, the former Alma Elizabeth
	Randall, exchanged their wedding vows in 1952, and over the years
	they have been blessed with three daughters, seven grandchildren,
	and two great-grandchildren; and
	WHEREAS, During his visit to Washington, D.C., Mr. Looney
	will visit the World War II Memorial in the company of other
	veterans, and together they will honor the comrades they lost,
	share their memories of hardship and triumph, and reflect with
	pride on the role they played in one of our nation's finest hours;
	now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
	Legislature hereby honor Jewel Preston Looney for his outstanding
	service during World War II and extend to him sincere best wishes
	for a meaningful and memorable visit to our nation's capital; and,
	be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Mr. Looney as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Miller of Comal
	Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira
	Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr
	Alonzo Gooden Otto
	Alvarado Guerra Paddie
	Anchia Guillen Parker
	Anderson Gutierrez Patrick
	Ashby Harless Perez
	Aycock Harper-Brown Perry
	Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips
	Bohac Herrero Pickett
	Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts
	Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price
	Branch Huberty Raney
	Burkett Hughes Ratliff
	Burnam Hunter Raymond
	Button Isaac Reynolds
	Callegari Johnson Riddle
	Canales Kacal Ritter
	Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
	Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis
	Clardy King of Parker Rose
	Coleman King of Taylor Sanford
	Collier King of Zavala Schaefer
	Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets
	Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell
	Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell
	Creighton Krause Simmons
	Crownover Kuempel Simpson
	Dale Larson Smith
	Darby Laubenberg Smithee
	Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer
	J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson
	S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland
	Deshotel Longoria Strama
	Dukes Lozano Taylor
	Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria
	Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris
	Elkins Martinez Toth
	Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin
	Farias McClendon Turner of Harris
	Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant
	Farrar Miles Villalba
	Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal
	Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
	Frank Moody Walle
	Frullo Morrison White
	Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman
	Giddings Murphy Wu
	Goldman Naishtat Zedler
	Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1513 was adopted by the House on April
	24, 2013, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House