Bill Text: CA SJR9 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Military and veterans.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-06-19 - Re-referred to Com. on V.A. [SJR9 Detail]
Download: California-2019-SJR9-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Joint Resolution | No. 9 |
| Introduced by Senator Archuleta |
June 12, 2019 |
Relative to military and veterans.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SJR 9, as introduced, Archuleta.
Military and veterans.
This measure would urge the United States Congress to act favorably in regard to legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 201st Fighter Squadron of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, El Escuadrón 201, also known as the “Aztec Eagles,” was a Mexican fighter squadron, part of the Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana, or Mexican Expeditionary Air Force, that aided the Allied war effort during World War II; and
WHEREAS, The squadron’s pilots flew P-47D Thunderbolt single-seat fighter aircraft carrying out tactical air support missions; and
WHEREAS, El Escuadrón 201 was composed of more than 300 volunteers, including 30 experienced pilots and the rest ground crew who trained at Majors Field in Greenville, Texas, between November 30, 1944, and February 20, 1945, in combat air tactics, formation flying, and gunnery; and
WHEREAS, The Aztec Eagles were attached to the 58th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces during the liberation of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the summer of 1945; and
WHEREAS, In June 1945, the squadron initially flew missions with the 58th Fighter Group’s 310th Fighter Squadron and flew more than 90 combat missions, totaling more than 1,900 hours of flight time. They participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa to push the Japanese out of those islands. During their fighting in the Philippines, five pilots died; and
WHEREAS, When the 58th Fighter Group left the Philippines for Okinawa on July 10, 1945, the Aztec Eagles stayed behind and flew their last combat mission as a full squadron on August 26, 1945, escorting a convoy north of the Philippines; and
WHEREAS, The Aztec Eagles returned to Mexico City in November 18, 1945; and
WHEREAS, The squadron’s actions earned praise from Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur, President Harry S. Truman, and decorations from the United States, Mexican, and Philippine governments; and
WHEREAS, On November 22, 2004, the squadron was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor, with a rank of Legionnaire, by Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; and
WHEREAS, The Philippine Legion of Honor was established by President Manuel Roxas, through Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. Patterned after the United States’ Legion of Merit, it was meant to honor both civilians and members of the military, Filipino or foreign. Today, the Philippine Legion of Honor is conferred upon a Filipino or foreign citizen in recognition of valuable and meritorious service in relation to the military affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, and it is thus the primary order of military merit of the Republic of the Philippines; and
WHEREAS, All of the veterans of Escuadrón 201 earned the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Battle Star, and the WW II Victory Medal; and
WHEREAS, On March 26, 2019, United States Representative Linda Sánchez, introduced House Resolution 1889 in the 116th Congress, the Escuadrón 201 Congressional Gold Medal Act; and
WHEREAS, The bestowment of such a prestigious award would instill pride in the members of Escuadrón 201 and give proper recognition by the United States to Mexico, the Mexican pilots and their ground crews for their contribution and their losses in defending the Philippines in the Allied cause in WWII; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the Congress of the United States to act favorably in regard to legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, to the Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201, or the 201st Fighter Squadron, for its Allied service in World War II; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.
