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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, During World War II, the late Lieutenant Colonel |
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Philip W. Latimer distinguished himself through his combat service |
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with the historic Black Panther Battalion of the U.S. Army; and |
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WHEREAS, Colonel Latimer was teaching high school |
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mathematics in rural East Texas in 1941 when he was drafted into the |
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army; after serving as a private in the 3rd Armored Division and as |
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a sergeant in the 7th Armored Division, he attended Armor Officer |
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Candidate School; commissioned a second lieutenant in October 1942, |
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he assumed command of a mortar platoon in the 12th Armored Division; |
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the following January, he and the division's other white second |
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lieutenants were asked if they would be willing to serve with the |
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black soldiers in the newly formed 761st Tank Battalion, the first |
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armored combat unit to be made up of African American troops; and |
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WHEREAS, Lieutenant Latimer joined the battalion in July 1943 |
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as one of six white officers and, promoted to captain, trained with |
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them at Camp Hood, where the men of the 761st excelled in combat |
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exercises, often outmaneuvering and defeating the units made up of |
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white soldiers; despite their success on duty, the soldiers of the |
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761st regularly experienced racial prejudice while off duty, and |
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one member of the battalion, future baseball great Jackie Robinson, |
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was nearly court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a |
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bus; and |
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WHEREAS, On October 10, 1944, the 761st Tank Battalion landed |
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at Omaha Beach, and shortly afterward, it joined the Third Army in |
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northeastern France, where it was welcomed by General George S. |
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Patton himself; over the course of 183 days of continuous |
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operations, the men of the 761st fought their way bravely across |
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Europe, helping to liberate France, taking part in the Battle of the |
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Bulge, and punching a hole in the Siegfried Line that allowed |
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Patton's 4th Armored Division to enter Germany; and |
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WHEREAS, Through it all, Captain Latimer served as the |
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battalion supply officer, working with his crack staff to ensure |
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that the battalion's approximately 700 men and its 54 medium tanks |
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and 17 light tanks were well provided with ammunition, fuel, and |
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rations; as they moved across the Rhineland, Captain Latimer and |
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his driver took one village by themselves, accepting the surrender |
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of a wounded German soldier; at the end of the war, the 761st linked |
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up with the Soviet army at the River Steyr in Austria, becoming the |
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easternmost unit of the Western Allied forces in Europe; and |
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WHEREAS, In the years since, the 761st has become enshrined |
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in American military history as the "Black Panther Battalion," |
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legendary for its members' skill, bravery, and determination in |
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combat, as well as for their gritty motto, "Come out fighting"; |
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collectively, the men of the 761st were awarded a Medal of Honor, |
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296 Purple Hearts, 11 Silver Stars, 70 Bronze Stars, 8 battlefield |
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commissions, and 3 certificates of merit; in 1978, the battalion |
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received a long-overdue Presidential Unit Citation from President |
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Jimmy Carter, and in 2005, a monument to the battalion was dedicated |
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at Fort Hood; and |
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WHEREAS, After World War II, Philip Latimer became a |
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lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and until the end of |
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his life, he remained proud of his service with the Black Panther |
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Battalion and of the mutual affection and respect he shared with his |
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comrades-in-arms; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Philip W. |
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Latimer and the other members of the Black Panther Battalion for |
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their exemplary service in defense of this nation; 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 Lieutenant Colonel Latimer's family as an expression |
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of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |