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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A life dedicated to the service of his nation and his |
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community has drawn to a close with the death of Raul Gabriel |
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Villaronga, retired U.S. Army Colonel and former mayor of Killeen, |
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on March 20, 2021, at the age of 82; and |
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WHEREAS, Raul Villaronga was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on |
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April 1, 1938, to Raul Gil Villaronga Pasarell and Maria Monserrate |
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Martinez Perez, and he grew up with two sisters, Magdalena and |
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Margarita; upon graduating from Texas A&M University in 1959 with a |
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bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, he accepted a |
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commission in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant; and |
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WHEREAS, At the start of his impressive military career, |
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Lieutenant Villaronga served with the 7th Special Forces Group at |
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Fort Bragg and with the original 8th Special Forces Group in the |
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Panama Canal Zone, where he was promoted to captain; he went on to |
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serve as a company commander with the 8th Cavalry (Airborne) and as |
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an instructor at the U.S. Army Quartermaster School, and he served |
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two tours of duty in Vietnam, including one as executive officer of |
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the 266th Supply and Service Battalion; and |
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WHEREAS, Returning to the United States, Major Villaronga |
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earned a master's degree in industrial engineering from Texas Tech |
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University; he subsequently was promoted to lieutenant colonel and |
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assigned to command the 66th Maintenance Battalion in Germany, and |
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he served as director of the Integrated Logistics System Branch at |
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the New Cumberland Army Depot in Pennsylvania; following his |
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promotion to colonel, he served in several leadership positions at |
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Fort Hood, ending his military career as director of the army's |
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study of Palletized Load Systems; his numerous military honors |
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included the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the |
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Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star with valor device and three oak |
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leaf clusters; and |
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WHEREAS, After retiring from the army, Mr. Villaronga was |
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elected to the Killeen City Council, and in 1992, he was elected |
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mayor, becoming the first native-born Puerto Rican to head a city |
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government in Texas; after three terms as mayor, he continued to |
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serve the city as associate municipal judge until his retirement in |
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2002; he chaired the Killeen-Fort Hood League of United Latin |
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American Citizens Council No. 4535, and he was a founder of the |
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Central Texas Area Veterans Advisory Committee and a member of the |
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board of Killeen Crime Stoppers, among many other affiliations; in |
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addition, he was chair emeritus of the Greater Killeen Area's |
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Promise; and |
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WHEREAS, A true leader both in and out of uniform, Raul |
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Villaronga lived a rich and purposeful life dedicated to serving |
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his fellow citizens, and he leaves behind a legacy that will |
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continue to inspire 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 memory of retired U.S. Army |
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Colonel Raul Gabriel Villaronga and extend heartfelt sympathy to |
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the members of his family: to his wife, Julia; to his sister, |
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Margarita; to his sons, Raul and his wife, Robin, Rafael and his |
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wife, Marie, and Robert; to his grandchildren, Rafael, Christopher, |
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Victoria, and Oleata; and to his other relatives and friends; and, |
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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 Raul |
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Villaronga. |
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Buckley |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 770 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on April 30, 2021. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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