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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Family and friends will forever treasure their |
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memories of decorated World War II veteran Ervin Martin Koerth, who |
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died on October 8, 2013, at the age of 91; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on July 16, 1922, to Gus and Cora Koerth in |
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Nolan County, Texas, Ervin Koerth enlisted in the U.S. Army on his |
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20th birthday; after attending parachute jump school at Fort |
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Benning, Georgia, he became a member of the elite 551st Parachute |
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Infantry Battalion, an unattached unit of 800 men that was assigned |
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wherever it was most needed; and |
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WHEREAS, In mid-August 1944, Paratrooper Koerth and the 551st |
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took part in the Allied invasion of southern France; the unit |
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liberated Draguignan against heavy resistance, capturing a German |
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major general, and then took Nice on August 29; ordered next to the |
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French-Italian Alps for several months and subsequently to northern |
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France, the 551st was attached to the 82nd Infantry Division late in |
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the year, when it joined the Allied counteroffensive in the Battle |
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of the Bulge; Mr. Koerth, by then a staff sergeant and platoon |
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leader, helped drive the Germans back at Noirefontaine, Herispehe, |
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Dairomont, and Quartiers, enduring bitter cold and engaging in |
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brutal hand-to-hand combat; on January 7, 1945, the 551st took |
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Rochelinval, but at a terrible cost, with casualties amounting to |
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more than 85 percent of its strength; by the end of its assault on |
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the superior German force, the 551st numbered only 14 officers and |
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96 troops; and |
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WHEREAS, The battalion was relieved on January 9, and |
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Sergeant Koerth, suffering from burst eardrums from the sheer noise |
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of the bombs, mortars, and artillery, was sent to an army hospital |
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for a month; while he was receiving treatment, the 551st was |
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deactivated and all its remaining personnel were absorbed into the |
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82nd Airborne Division; Mr. Koerth was assigned to the 504th |
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Parachute Infantry Battalion of the 82nd and fought with that unit |
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as far as the Elbe River; on May 2, 1945, the 82nd accepted the |
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surrender of the German 21st Army; some four and a half months |
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later, Mr. Koerth returned to the United States, and on September |
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25, 1945, he received an honorable discharge; and |
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WHEREAS, This intrepid Texan was awarded the Purple Heart, |
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the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the |
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European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Combat |
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Infantryman Badge; the 551st was recognized with a Presidential |
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Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of the Bulge, as |
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well as with the Croix de Guerre from the French government for its |
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valor at Draguignan; and |
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WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Koerth lived for many years in |
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Grand Prairie, where from 1968 until his retirement in 1978 he |
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operated his own company, LESKO, which made parts for the aircraft |
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industry; he shared a rewarding, seven-decade-long marriage with |
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his wife, Lois, whom he married while on furlough in 1943, and he |
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was the proud father of a daughter, Sandra; later in life, he was |
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blessed with three grandsons, Brian, Bart, and Harlan Kickhoefer; |
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Mr. Koerth passed away in 2013; and |
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WHEREAS, During the greatest conflict of the 20th century, |
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Ervin Koerth exemplified the highest ideals of the U.S. armed |
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forces, conducting himself with fortitude, tenacity, and courage, |
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and he has left behind a record of service to his country that will |
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continue to inspire all those who knew and loved him; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Ervin Martin Koerth |
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for his heroic efforts in behalf of this nation during World War II; |
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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 his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Ervin |
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Martin Koerth. |