Bill Text: TX HR1927 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring the life of Colonel James "Nikki" Rowe of McAllen on the 22nd anniversary of his death.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-05-24 - Reported enrolled [HR1927 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HR1927-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 1927 | ||
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| WHEREAS, April 21, 2011, marked the 22nd anniversary of the | ||
| death of United States Army Colonel James Nicholas Rowe, and many | ||
| residents of McAllen paused on that day to somberly reflect on his | ||
| heroism and remarkable achievements; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The son of Lee and Florence Rowe, "Nikki" Rowe was | ||
| born in McAllen on February 8, 1938; he graduated from McAllen High | ||
| School and the United States Military Academy at West Point; in | ||
| 1963, three months after he was posted to South Vietnam as a Special | ||
| Forces advisor, he was taken prisoner in a firefight; he was held | ||
| for five years under horrific conditions but remained strong and | ||
| defiant, earning the nickname "Mr. Trouble" from his captors; on | ||
| December 31, 1968, he became one of only 34 American prisoners of | ||
| war to escape from the Viet Cong; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Colonel Rowe applied for voluntary recall to active | ||
| duty when he returned home and taught a POW-MIA planning and | ||
| training program at Fort Bragg in North Carolina; in 1971, he | ||
| published a bestselling, critically acclaimed account of his | ||
| ordeal, Five Years to Freedom; he left the military in 1974, and he | ||
| authored several other books before rejoining the army as a | ||
| lieutenant colonel in 1981 to head its Green Beret training program | ||
| at Fort Bragg; guided by his POW experiences, he developed and ran | ||
| the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape program, known as | ||
| SERE, which is used today by other branches of the military as well; | ||
| and | ||
| WHEREAS, From 1985 until 1987, Colonel Rowe commanded Fort | ||
| Bragg's First Special Warfare Training Battalion; he was then | ||
| appointed chief of the Army Division at the Joint United States | ||
| Military Advisory Group headquarters in Quezon City, Philippines; | ||
| on April 21, 1989, he was killed in an ambush on his way to work by | ||
| members of the New Peoples' Army, a Communist rebel group; and | ||
| WHEREAS, This courageous Texan was the recipient of numerous | ||
| decorations, among them the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two | ||
| Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts; he received myriad nonmilitary | ||
| awards as well, including the American Patriot Award and George | ||
| Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge | ||
| and the Outstanding Young Man of America award; in McAllen, Second | ||
| Street and VFW Post No. 2369 were renamed in his honor, and James | ||
| Nikki Rowe High School also stands as a testament to the community's | ||
| enduring pride in his accomplishments; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Nikki Rowe's patriotism, valor, and iron | ||
| determination remain a source of inspiration to all Americans, and | ||
| through his leadership in creating the SERE program, he left an | ||
| extraordinary legacy that continues to benefit members of our | ||
| nation's military around the world; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby honor the life of Colonel James "Nikki" Rowe and | ||
| commemorate the 22nd anniversary of his death. | ||
| Gonzales of Hidalgo | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 1927 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on May 19, 2011. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
