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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, William A. Mitchell, a retired colonel in the U.S. |
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Air Force and a professor emeritus at Baylor University, has long |
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devoted his talents and energies to work with a higher purpose; and |
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WHEREAS, Determined as a teenager to enlist in the military, |
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even though he was underage at the time, Bill Mitchell fabricated a |
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new birth certificate for himself and joined the 36th Infantry |
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Division of the Texas National Guard in Clifton; as soon as he |
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completed the six months' training required to go on active duty, he |
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enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served at Lackland and Travis Air |
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Force Bases before being stationed overseas at Wheelus Air Base in |
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Tripoli, Libya; and |
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WHEREAS, Reassigned to Turkey in 1959, Dr. Mitchell later |
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completed a tour of duty in Vietnam, where he served as a civic |
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actions officer and flew missions in support of the army's Project |
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CHECO, analyzing and reporting on enemy attacks on Mekong River |
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convoys; during subsequent assignments in Turkey, he commanded the |
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Incirlik Air Base and the 724th Air Base Group at Izmir during the |
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Gulf War; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Mitchell retired from the air force at the rank |
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of colonel, following a career that took him to 30 countries over a |
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span of 34 years; he is the recipient of numerous military awards, |
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including the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star |
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Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal; and |
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WHEREAS, This esteemed Texan holds a bachelor's degree from |
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East Texas State University, a master's degree from the University |
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of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate from the University of |
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Illinois; he has taught at the Air Force Academy and the Air War |
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College, and following his return to civilian life, he served for 20 |
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years on the faculty at Baylor University, where he held the Jo |
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Murphy Chair in International Education; during his tenure at |
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Baylor, he established a study abroad program in Turkey and helped |
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to create the Center for Democracy at the University of Dohuk in |
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Iraq; a political scientist who works in the area of international |
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affairs, Dr. Mitchell has focused much of his research on Turkey, |
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where he lived for 10 years, and has more recently studied the |
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impact of colonialism in Francophone West Africa; he has published |
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widely on such topics as water management and disaster mitigation, |
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and he is currently at work on his third book; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Bill Mitchell has been |
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blessed with the love and support of his wife, the former Joan |
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Woodill; and |
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WHEREAS, Having made significant contributions in the course |
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of both his military and academic careers, William Mitchell remains |
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engaged in efforts to advance the causes of intercultural |
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understanding, democracy, and the well-being of peoples around the |
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world; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Dr. William A. Mitchell for his exemplary |
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service in behalf of his country and its highest values and extend |
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to him sincere best wishes for continued success in all his |
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endeavors; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Dr. Mitchell as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Anderson of McLennan |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2691 was adopted by the House on May |
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21, 2015, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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