HCR115 - 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.

  89R18661 CW-D     By: Virdell H.C.R. No. 115       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   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 April 11, 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. Gutierrez 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,   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.