Bill Text: TX HCR122 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Directing the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Master Sergeant Travis E. Watkins.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-05-29 - Signed by the Governor [HCR122 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HCR122-Enrolled.html
| H.C.R. No. 122 | ||
|
|
||
| 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 U.S. Army Master Sergeant Travis E. | ||
| Watkins proved himself a deserving recipient of this prestigious | ||
| award for his heroism during the Korean War; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born in Waldo, Arkansas, Travis Watkins grew up in | ||
| Troup, Texas; answering his nation's call to duty, he enlisted in | ||
| the U.S. Army in 1939, and he served with distinction in the Pacific | ||
| theater during World War II, earning the Bronze Star for his actions | ||
| at Guadalcanal; after the war, he was honorably discharged, and in | ||
| 1948, he married Madie Sue Barnett; the couple became the parents of | ||
| two daughters; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During the Korean War, Master Sergeant Watkins | ||
| reenlisted, and he was deployed to Korea with Company H, Ninth | ||
| Infantry Regiment, Second Infantry Division; on August 31, 1950, | ||
| the company was stationed near Yongsan when an overwhelming North | ||
| Korean force broke through the United Nations lines, and Sergeant | ||
| Watkins and 30 other men found themselves under siege and cut off | ||
| from the rest of their unit; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the next three days, Sergeant Watkins displayed | ||
| both remarkable leadership and extraordinary bravery; he took | ||
| command, established perimeter defenses to repel the constant enemy | ||
| assaults, and continually exposed himself to enemy fire by moving | ||
| from foxhole to foxhole to give instructions and encouragement to | ||
| his fellow soldiers; and | ||
| WHEREAS, When the unit's ammunition began to run out, | ||
| Sergeant Watkins shot two North Korean soldiers 50 yards beyond the | ||
| perimeter and went out alone to retrieve their weapons and | ||
| ammunition; he was wounded while doing so, but still managed to fell | ||
| all three of his enemy attackers; he collected their weapons and | ||
| ammunition as well and made it back to his astonished men; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Later, six of the enemy began to lob grenades into | ||
| the American perimeter, endangering the position; Sergeant Watkins | ||
| stood up from his foxhole and fired his rifle at the attackers; he | ||
| was immediately struck by machine gun fire, but he continued | ||
| shooting until he had killed all six North Koreans; he then | ||
| collapsed, paralyzed from the waist down; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Despite his grave injuries, Sergeant Watkins | ||
| continued to encourage his men, refusing to accept any food from | ||
| their dwindling supply; when it became clear that help would not | ||
| arrive in time, he ordered his men to withdraw, and he further | ||
| refused to let them take him with them, since his inability to walk | ||
| would only slow their retreat; in the last moments of his life, he | ||
| wished his comrades luck and remained at his post until the end; he | ||
| died two days before his 30th birthday; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Sergeant Watkins's leadership throughout this | ||
| ordeal helped to keep his men alive and enabled his troops to mount | ||
| a strong defense that killed approximately 500 enemy soldiers; in | ||
| recognition of his monumental courage, President Harry S. Truman | ||
| posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest | ||
| military award; the medal was presented to his wife in a ceremony in | ||
| Washington, D.C., on January 9, 1951; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the years since, Sergeant Watkins has been | ||
| further honored in the state he called home; a housing complex at | ||
| Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio was named in his memory in 1961, and | ||
| the Watkins-Logan State Veterans Home in Tyler was also named in his | ||
| honor in 2011; in 2000 a supply ship, the USNS Watkins, was | ||
| christened in his name; his remains are interred at Gladewater | ||
| Memorial Park in Gladewater; and | ||
| WHEREAS, During a desperate situation in a time of war, | ||
| Master Sergeant Travis Watkins took command, bolstered the spirits | ||
| of his men, and repeatedly risked his life in their behalf, making | ||
| the ultimate sacrifice in order that they might survive; for this | ||
| selfless act of heroism, it is indeed appropriate that he be honored | ||
| with this state's supreme military commendation; now, therefore, be | ||
| it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th 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 Travis E. Watkins in | ||
| recognition of his valiant service during the Korean War. | ||
| Dean | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 122 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 9, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.C.R. No. 122 was adopted by the Senate on May | ||
| 19, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: __________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| __________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
