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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Major General Gerald R. Betty is retiring as |
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commanding general of the Texas State Guard in 2017, drawing to a |
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close an outstanding military career that has spanned more than |
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four decades; and |
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WHEREAS, After earning his bachelor's degree from Texas A&M |
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University in 1973, "Jake" Betty was commissioned a second |
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lieutenant in the U.S. Army and assigned to the 101st Airborne |
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Division at Fort Campbell, where he served as infantry platoon |
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leader, infantry company executive officer, reconnaissance platoon |
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leader, and battalion operations and training officer; and |
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WHEREAS, General Betty left active duty in 1977, but he |
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continued to serve in the Texas National Guard as commander of C |
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Company, 1st/143rd Infantry, 36th Airborne Brigade; in 1979, he |
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transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve, where he held a number of |
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leadership positions; his assignments over the years included |
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deployment to Bosnia in 1997-1998, following the end of the Bosnian |
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War, in support of Operation Joint Guard; in February 2003, while |
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serving as commander of the 3419th Military Intelligence Detachment |
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at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, he was mobilized |
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and named chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency Iraq Survey |
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Group, Fusion Center-CONUS, whose mission was to support Operation |
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Iraqi Freedom; he retired from the Army Reserve later that year, |
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following an exemplary career in the army that spanned three |
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decades; and |
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WHEREAS, This distinguished officer joined the Texas State |
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Guard in 2006; he served as commander of the 8th Regiment and as |
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headquarters J1 before being promoted to commander of the Army |
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Component Command in 2013; in September 2014, he became the guard's |
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commanding general; during his time in the guard, he has served on |
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active duty missions in response to Hurricanes Dean, Gustav, Dolly, |
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Edouard, and Ike, and he has supported repeated state guard |
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deployments to deal with flooding in Central Texas; he has also |
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served as a liaison for Operation Jade Helm and overseen Operations |
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Lone Star, Border Star, Strong Safety, and Secure Texas; in |
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addition, he has strengthened the guard's military doctrine, |
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policies, and procedures, and he has increased joint training |
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between the guard's components while improving cooperation between |
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the guard and the Texas Military Department; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, General Betty benefits from |
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the love and support of Juli Betty, his wife of 40 years; the couple |
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take pride in a treasured family that includes their son, Josh |
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Betty, and his wife, Jen, their daughter, Alison Perdue, and her |
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husband, James, and their grandchildren, Jax, Joy-Lindsey, and |
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Rudder; and |
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WHEREAS, Major General Jake Betty's dedication to the highest |
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standards of his profession has greatly benefited his fellow Texans |
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and earned him the respect and admiration of his fellow soldiers, |
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and he may indeed reflect with pride on a career well spent as he |
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embarks upon the next exciting chapter of his life; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Major General |
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Gerald R. Betty on his retirement as commanding general of the Texas |
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State Guard and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for General Betty as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |