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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is being |
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observed on September 20, 2024, citizens across Texas and the |
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United States pay solemn tribute to the servicemen and servicewomen |
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who were held as prisoners of war or who remain missing in action |
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from our nation's conflicts; and |
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WHEREAS, The toll of war is never-ending, lasting far beyond |
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cease-fires, armistices, and treaties; many thousands of soldiers, |
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sailors, and airmen are still considered missing in action from |
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World War II, and thousands more are listed as missing from |
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subsequent wars; decades after their loved ones have been listed as |
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unaccounted for, families continue to mourn and to seek answers as |
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well as respite from the emotional burden of not knowing the fate of |
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a beloved parent, sibling, or child; and |
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WHEREAS, The first national commemoration of POWs and MIAs |
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was held in 1979, when the U.S. Congress passed a resolution |
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specifying July 18 as National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and a |
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ceremony was held in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.; in |
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1984, President Ronald Reagan hosted a ceremony at the White House, |
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which served to honor all returned POWs while also renewing the |
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commitment to account for the missing; since 1986, the |
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commemoration has been held on the third Friday in September, and on |
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that day each year, the black-and-white POW/MIA flag has been flown |
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over the White House and the U.S. Capitol, as well as over state |
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capitols, military bases, ships at sea, schools, places of worship, |
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and many other venues; and |
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WHEREAS, Our men and women in uniform and their families make |
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tremendous sacrifices in order to preserve our freedom and our way |
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of life, and they are owed a profound debt of gratitude as well as |
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the steadfast commitment of our nation to continue its work to |
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ensure that all missing Americans are accounted for or returned |
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home in dignity and honor; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate September 20, 2024, as National |
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POW/MIA Recognition Day and assure the families of prisoners of war |
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and those still missing in action that their loved ones will never |
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be forgotten. |