88R26614 BPG-D
 
  By: Flores S.R. No. 505
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         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 88th Texas Legislature
  hereby recognize September 24, 2023, as Captain Henry T. Waskow
  Day.