SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 505
         WHEREAS, The courageous service of U.S. Army Captain Henry
  T. Waskow of Belton during World War II has inspired his fellow
  Americans for nearly 80 years; and
 
         WHEREAS, In January 1944, The Washington Daily News ran a
  profoundly moving dispatch by legendary World War II
  correspondent Ernie Pyle on its front page; the story related the
  tragic death of Captain Waskow, who led B Company of the 1st
  Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment, and had earned the
  tremendous respect, loyalty, and affection of the men under his
  command before being killed in action; and
 
         WHEREAS, Captain Waskow first experienced combat during
  the landings in Salerno, Italy, in September 1943; subsequently,
  his company fought in the mountains of southern Italy, enduring
  miserable, freezing conditions; he impressed his men with his
  efficiency and his calm demeanor, even under artillery and
  machine gun fire; on December 14, during the ferocious battle for
  San Pietro, he was leading his men from a tree line to attack a
  German position when he heard an incoming artillery shell; he
  shoved his radio operator, crying "Hit the ground!," but he was
  cut down himself by a piece of shrapnel; and
 
         WHEREAS, When it was at last possible for the radio
  operator to bring Captain Waskow's body back down the mountain
  three days later, Mr. Pyle witnessed the final farewells of the
  captain's grief-stricken men and wrote, "In this war I have known
  a lot of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers
  under them. But never have I crossed the trail of any man as
  beloved as Captain Henry T. Waskow of Belton, Texas"; the
  heartbreaking account, syndicated by the Scripps-Howard news
  service and read over the radio, resonated powerfully with the
  American public as an illustration of humble nobility and the
  strong bonds of camaraderie forged in wartime; and
 
         WHEREAS, Henry T. Waskow was born in DeWitt County on
  September 24, 1918, to Frank and Mary Waskow, first-generation
  Americans of German descent; he grew up on a farm in Bell County
  with seven siblings; quiet, serious, dutiful, and industrious,
  he graduated as president of his class at Belton High School and
  attended Temple Junior College before working his way through
  Trinity University as a campus janitor; he enlisted in the Texas
  National Guard while preparing for a career in teaching, and
  after he was called to active duty, he rose quickly through the
  ranks; in January 1943, he was promoted to captain, and his
  division was deployed to Algeria that April; and
 
         WHEREAS, Captain Waskow's grave near Nettuno, Italy, has
  been visited by countless people, and he is not forgotten at
  home; VFW Post No. 4008 in Belton and the Belton New Tech High
  School @Waskow are named in his honor; and
         WHEREAS, Exemplifying the highest ideals of the U.S. armed
  forces, Captain Henry T. Waskow has long been revered as a moving
  example of the heroism demonstrated by American service members
  as well as the sacrifices made in defense of our nation, and it is
  indeed fitting to further honor his memory by commemorating the
  anniversary of his birth; now, therefore, be it
 
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas 88th
  Legislature, hereby recognize September 24, 2023, as Captain
  Henry T. Waskow Day.
 
 
  Flores
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on May 2, 2023.
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate