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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, During World War II, countless Americans made |
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immense sacrifices in the struggle against tyranny, and among the |
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heroic figures who endured tremendous hardship in behalf of our |
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country was the late Donald Teague, who survived four years in a |
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Japanese prisoner of war camp; and |
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WHEREAS, Immediately before the war, Mr. Teague was a member |
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of the New Mexico National Guard; though he was released from duty |
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in 1940 as the result of a medical condition, he was determined to |
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serve his nation, and he was readmitted into the military following |
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treatment; and |
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WHEREAS, When the United States entered the war following the |
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attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Mr. Teague participated in |
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the defense of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines; captured by |
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the Japanese, he was sent to Camp O'Donnell, a former training |
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center used by the Japanese as a prisoner of war camp; the |
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conditions at the camp were horrific; vast numbers of prisoners |
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died of malnutrition, malaria, and dysentery, and Mr. Teague was |
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assigned to help bury his dead comrades in a mass grave that was |
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only a foot and a half deep; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Teague and his fellow prisoners were |
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subsequently moved to another camp by train, packed so tightly into |
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cattle cars that many died during the journey; they were later |
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shipped away from the Philippines, spending 39 days in the hold of a |
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so-called "hell ship" that had been previously used to transport |
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horses; over the course of his captivity, Mr. Teague's weight |
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dropped to 100 pounds, and near the end of the war, he contracted |
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pleurisy; after being admitted to a Red Cross hospital, he was given |
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the first substantial food he had eaten since his capture; and |
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WHEREAS, According to a 1990 interview preserved by |
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Mr. Teague's sister, Jean Cummins of Dumas, he briefly considered |
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giving up during his four-year ordeal, but he persevered, |
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determined to return to his family; he was liberated in 1945 and |
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treated at the U.S. Army 42nd Field Hospital in Yokohama, Japan, |
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before being shipped home; in civilian life, he earned a Ph.D. and |
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enjoyed a successful career as a college professor in Illinois and |
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California; he passed away in 1990, at the age of 72; and |
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WHEREAS, Demonstrating the highest degree of patriotism, |
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Donald Teague fought courageously for his country and steadfastly |
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endured the horrors of his captivity, and the exemplary service he |
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rendered in behalf of his fellow citizens is deserving of the |
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deepest gratitude of every American; now, 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 service and sacrifice of |
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Donald Teague during World War II and commend his loved ones for |
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preserving his memory; 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 as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |
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Price |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1399 was adopted by the House on May |
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26, 2021, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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