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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Jewel Preston Looney of New Braunfels is visiting |
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Washington, D.C., on April 26, 2013, as a guest of the San Antonio |
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Alamo Honor Flight, and this occasion represents a fitting |
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opportunity to honor this distinguished veteran for his service to |
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the nation during World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in 1924 in Ravenden Springs, Arkansas, |
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J. P. Looney was eager to answer his country's call to duty, and he |
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enlisted in the U.S. Army as soon as he came of age; after training |
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in California, he was assigned to the 207th Engineer Combat |
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Battalion, 1110th Engineer Combat Group, of the First Army, and he |
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spent the months before D-day with his unit in southern England, |
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preparing for the invasion; and |
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WHEREAS, Subsequent to the Normandy landing in June 1944, |
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Mr. Looney and the other soldiers of the 207th Battalion took part |
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in the massive effort to rebuild, repair, and maintain roads and |
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bridges in support of the Allied advance; the battalion worked its |
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way through such famous battlegrounds as Saint-Lo and the Ardennes; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, During November and December 1944, Mr. Looney was |
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sent to Liege, Belgium, where members of the 207th were trained in |
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the construction of "Bailey bridges," portable, prefabricated |
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metal spans that rested on barges; Mr. Looney was taught how to |
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captain a tugboat, and he learned to maneuver barges in the rapid |
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currents of the Meuse River; while he and his fellow soldiers were |
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engaged in this training, the Germans often launched buzz bombs |
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into the city; and |
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WHEREAS, After the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and |
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January 1945, the Wehrmacht destroyed most of the bridges across |
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the Rhine as they were driven back into Germany, and the 207th was |
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given the mission of building a Bailey bridge across the Rhine at |
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Bad Godesberg; designed by General Courtney H. Hodges, the span was |
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to be the first two-lane Bailey bridge across the river; it would |
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stretch for more than 1,174 feet and be capable of moving 1,000 |
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vehicles a day; and |
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WHEREAS, The 207th Battalion worked to build the bridge out |
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from the west bank while another battalion worked from the east; |
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Mr. Looney used a tugboat to position the underlying barges, |
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working in powerful currents at a time when the water level in the |
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Rhine was at an all-time high; after his job was done, he joined the |
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forces on the eastern bank to help defend the bridge against German |
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attempts to destroy it; and |
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WHEREAS, The construction of the bridge began on March 26, |
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1945, and the bridge was opened for traffic on April 6; named the |
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Hodges Bridge, after its designer, this engineering marvel enabled |
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the First Army to move quickly into Germany and played a vital role |
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in hastening the end of the war in Europe; on May 8, 1945, just over |
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a month after the bridge was commissioned, the Germans surrendered; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, For his service during the war, Mr. Looney earned |
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the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four |
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bronze service stars; and |
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WHEREAS, Following his discharge from the armed forces, |
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Mr. Looney worked in the oil and gas exploration business for a time |
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before joining Texas Instruments in Houston; he later helped found |
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the Mensor Corporation, which manufactures pressure measuring |
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devices; the enterprise has been located in San Marcos since 1978, |
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and three generations of Mr. Looney's family have worked for the |
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company; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Looney and his wife, the former Alma Elizabeth |
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Randall, exchanged their wedding vows in 1952, and over the years |
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they have been blessed with three daughters, seven grandchildren, |
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and two great-grandchildren; and |
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WHEREAS, During his visit to Washington, D.C., Mr. Looney |
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will visit the World War II Memorial in the company of other |
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veterans, and together they will honor the comrades they lost, |
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share their memories of hardship and triumph, and reflect with |
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pride on the role they played in one of our nation's finest hours; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Jewel Preston Looney for his outstanding |
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service during World War II and extend to him sincere best wishes |
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for a meaningful and memorable visit to our nation's capital; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Looney as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |