85R33117 RMA-D
 
  By: Martinez H.R. No. 2405
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Trinidad Martinez, one of the last living survivors
  of the Bataan Death March, was honored at a ceremony hosted by the
  Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New Mexico on April 8 and
  9, 2017, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of that horrific
  event; and
         WHEREAS, Born in Mercedes on December 24, 1917, Trinidad
  Martinez answered his nation's call to duty by enlisting in the
  United States Army in April 1941; that December, just hours after
  the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked U.S. military
  bases in the Philippines, where Mr. Martinez was stationed; ground
  forces invaded two weeks later and drove American and Filipino
  troops from Manila to the Bataan Peninsula, where they fought
  desperately in the mountainous jungles; cut off from supply lines,
  the Americans and Filipinos ran out of food and ammunition, and
  their ranks were decimated by hunger and disease; and
         WHEREAS, U.S. General Edward King surrendered Bataan on April
  9, 1942; soon after, Mr. Martinez and some 76,000 other Americans
  and Filipinos were forced to begin marching to a prisoner-of-war
  camp more than 60 miles away; the POWs were driven forward under the
  broiling sun with little food and almost no water; soldiers who
  paused or fell were summarily executed, along with anyone who tried
  to help them, and thousands died en route from thirst, starvation,
  disease, and brutality; eventually, the American prisoners were
  transported to slave labor camps in Asia or interned in the camp at
  Cabanatuan, where Mr. Martinez was forced to make weapons and
  machinery for the Japanese; he was among the fewer than 1,000
  survivors who were finally liberated three years later by an elite
  Ranger battalion and the Philippine resistance; and
         WHEREAS, After returning stateside, Mr. Martinez was
  accorded 15 medals, including the World War II Victory Medal, the
  Prisoner of War Medal, and the Bronze Star Medal, and he was
  honorably discharged in November 1945 with the rank of corporal;
  today, he lives in San Antonio with his daughter, Rosie Dorado, and
  his grandchildren; and
         WHEREAS, Demonstrating the highest degree of patriotism,
  Trinidad Martinez fought courageously for his country and
  steadfastly endured unimaginable hardships during his captivity,
  and the exemplary service he rendered in behalf of this nation is
  deserving of the deepest gratitude of every American; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
  Legislature hereby honor Trinidad Martinez for his valiant military
  service during World War II and extend to him sincere best wishes
  for the future; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for Mr. Martinez as an expression of high regard by the
  Texas House of Representatives.