|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Texas State Guard Day is taking place at the State |
|
Capitol on April 4, 2023, providing a welcome opportunity to honor |
|
the members and leadership of this distinguished branch of the |
|
state's military forces; and |
|
WHEREAS, The first colonial militia was established in Texas |
|
in 1823, when the area was still part of Mexico; after Texans won |
|
their independence and subsequently became part of the United |
|
States, the various militias across Texas were consolidated in 1871 |
|
as the State Guard, which was replaced in 1903 by the Texas Army |
|
National Guard; in 1940, the creation of local military units was |
|
authorized by the U.S. Congress whenever the National Guard was |
|
deployed for federal service, and on February 10, 1941, the Texas |
|
Legislature created the Texas State Guard, which quickly grew to |
|
include almost 17,500 officers and enlisted personnel organized |
|
into 50 battalions; in 1948, the legislature activated the Texas |
|
State Guard Reserve Corps, which continued until the Texas State |
|
Guard was reauthorized in 1965; and |
|
WHEREAS, One of the three branches of the Texas Military |
|
Department, the Texas State Guard is headquartered at Camp Mabry in |
|
Austin; over the years, the duties of this mission-ready military |
|
force have included providing security for the state's |
|
infrastructure during World War II, maintaining order after civil |
|
unrest, and conducting recovery efforts after such catastrophic |
|
events as the explosion of a freighter in Texas City in 1947 and the |
|
loss of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003; since 2005, the guard's |
|
deployments have included responding to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, |
|
Ike, and Harvey as well as the COVID-19 pandemic; moreover, the |
|
guard has participated in the long-term border missions of |
|
Operation Border Star and Operation Drawbridge, and it has also |
|
taken part in such public service efforts as Operation Lone Star, |
|
which provides critical medical care to underserved populations in |
|
South Texas; and |
|
WHEREAS, For more than eight decades, the men and women of the |
|
Texas State Guard have lived up to their motto, "Equal to the Task," |
|
by standing ready to aid and protect their fellow citizens, and |
|
their remarkable record of courageous and dedicated service is |
|
truly worthy of celebration; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby recognize April 4, 2023, as Texas State Guard |
|
Day at the State Capitol and extend to all those in attendance |
|
sincere best wishes for a memorable and meaningful experience; and, |
|
be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for the Texas State Guard as an expression of high regard |
|
by the Texas House of Representatives. |
|
|
Bell of Montgomery |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 938 was adopted by the House on April |
|
4, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|