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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A life filled with meaningful achievements and |
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courageous wartime service drew to a close with the passing of |
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Hermon Rudolph Netherland of Colmesneil on March 19, 2021, at the |
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age of 94; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on April 21, 1926, in Enterprise, Louisiana, |
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Hermon Netherland was the son of Neal and Anne Netherland; he later |
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moved with his family to Port Arthur, and when he was 16 years old, |
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he persuaded his father to allow him to enlist in the United States |
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Navy to fight in World War II; he trained as both a signalman and a |
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specialist in underwater demolitions, and he would eventually take |
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part in nearly every major campaign in the Pacific theater of |
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operations; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout the war, Mr. Netherland was stationed |
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aboard the USS Birgit, a troop transport and cargo vessel; he was |
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present for the invasions of Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the |
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Philippines, and the Marshall Islands, and while deployed to the |
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Philippines, he and his fellow Navy "frogmen" were tasked with |
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neutralizing underwater mines left by Japanese forces; his duties |
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were often perilous, and he was wounded twice, once when he was |
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struck by mortar shrapnel and once when he was shot by a Japanese |
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soldier on the shore of Okinawa; and |
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WHEREAS, After returning to Port Arthur, Mr. Netherland met |
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his future wife, Velma, and the couple shared a rewarding marriage |
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that spanned 64 years before her passing; they became the parents of |
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a daughter, Sharon, who also preceded her father in death; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Netherland worked for Texaco in Port Arthur |
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until retiring in 1985; he subsequently moved to his cabin on Lake |
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Amanda in Colmesneil, where he resided for 36 years; during his |
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leisure time, he enjoyed deer hunting and fishing, especially for |
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catfish along the Sabine River; and |
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WHEREAS, A devoted family man, a dear friend, and an |
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exemplary member of the Greatest Generation, Hermon Rudolph |
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Netherland will be greatly missed, and his memory will long endure |
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in the hearts of all those who were privileged to know him; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Hermon Rudolph |
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Netherland and extend deepest sympathy to those who mourn his |
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passing; 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 Hermon |
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Netherland. |