Texas HCR 115: Directing the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Sergeant Ramon Garza Gutierrez.

Bill Text

By:AAVirdell H.C.R.ANo.A115
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
or federal military forces, and it is fitting that Sergeant Ramon
Garza Gutierrez be posthumously recognized with this commendation
for his actions as a member of the U.S. Army during World War II; and
WHEREAS, A native of Del Rio, Ramon Gutierrez enlisted in the
U.S. Army in 1941 at the age of 18; he was assigned to Company E of
the 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, an all-Mexican
American unit that was deployed to North Africa in April 1943 in
preparation for the Allied invasion of Italy; in September of that
year, Private Gutierrez and the other members of his unit helped
lead the Allied landings on the beaches of Paestum at Salerno; the
Company E soldiers faced heavy gunfire from German forces as they
came ashore; with his squad pinned down, Private Gutierrez charged
an enemy machine gun nest; he was wounded during his advance and
lost his rifle, but he continued on, armed only with hand grenades
and a knife; he succeeded in destroying the machine gun emplacement
with a grenade, then leaped into the smoking foxhole to dispatch the
last remaining German soldier in hand-to-hand combat; and
WHEREAS, Private Gutierrez was wounded a second time during
the Battle of San Pietro in November 1943, and two months later, his
regiment sustained mass casualties while crossing the Rapido River;
Private Gutierrez was captured by German forces but soon managed to
escape and swim back to the Allied side of the river, becoming one
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of only 27 members of Company E to return from the battle out of a
total of 154; and
WHEREAS, In May 1944, this heroic soldier was promoted to the
rank of sergeant, and during a battle at Velletri, he led an
advanced squad that came under heavy fire from two German units; he
was captured and tortured, and after days of captivity, the
building where he was being held was hit by an Allied bomb or
artillery fire; in the confusion that followed, he escaped through
a hole in the wall and was hidden by Italian civilians until U.S.
forces secured the area; after his release from a hospital, he
reported to Washington, D.C., and on AprilA11, 1944, he was
presented with the Order of the Patriotic War 2nd Degree, becoming
one of only a small number of U.S. soldiers to be honored by the
Soviet Union for their bravery on the battlefield; his actions were
also recognized with numerous U.S. military commendations,
including the Purple Heart with two clusters, two Silver Star
Medals, and two Bronze Star Medals; and
WHEREAS, Mr.AGutierrez returned to Texas and resided for a
time in Sonora; after he and the former Consuelo Sanchez exchanged
the vows of marriage, they raised their family in Wichita Falls; he
continued his military service as a member of the Texas State Guard
Reserve, and in 1955, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant; in
1993, he passed away in Wichita Falls at the age of 70; and
WHEREAS, Ramon Gutierrez distinguished himself through a
series of extraordinary acts of courage on the battlefield, and it
is indeed appropriate that he be posthumously honored with the
highest military award conferred by the State of Texas; now,
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H.C.R.ANo.A115
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therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously
award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Sergeant
Ramon Garza Gutierrez in recognition of his valiant service during
World War II.
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