Bill Text: TX HR47 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating Memorial Day 2016.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-03-01 - Reported enrolled [HR47 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HR47-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 47 | ||
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| WHEREAS, Every Memorial Day, millions of citizens across | ||
| Texas and the nation gather to remember those heroic men and women | ||
| in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our | ||
| country; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Originally known as Decoration Day for the practice | ||
| of decorating the graves of soldiers with flowers once a year, this | ||
| holiday began after the Civil War as a remembrance of those who had | ||
| died on both sides of the conflict; celebrated on May 30 in | ||
| subsequent decades, the holiday came to be known as Memorial Day, a | ||
| day to honor all of the country's fallen, in all of its wars; since | ||
| the early 1970s, the day has been observed on the final Monday in | ||
| May; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The nation's most solemn Memorial Day ceremony | ||
| occurs in Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown | ||
| Soldier, where the remains of unidentified Americans from World War | ||
| I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War are interred in | ||
| a marble monument and in the adjacent plaza; accompanied by honor | ||
| guards from all branches of the military, the president of the | ||
| United States traditionally lays a | ||
| wreath at the tomb, and the | ||
| ceremony is further solemnized by the sounding of "Taps," the | ||
| haunting bugle call that has been performed at military funerals | ||
| and memorials since the Civil War; and | ||
| WHEREAS, At the same time, in cities large and small across | ||
| the nation, veterans and their fellow citizens gather in cemeteries | ||
| and other public places to remember fallen comrades and to pay | ||
| tribute to those who died to protect our liberty; these ceremonies | ||
| are also graced by the stirring echoes of "Taps," and by tradition, | ||
| the United States flag is briskly raised to full staff at the | ||
| beginning of the day and then lowered slowly to half staff, where it | ||
| remains until noon, when it is raised to full staff again; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The toll of freedom is high; in the years since the | ||
| founding of our republic, more than 800,000 American military | ||
| personnel have died in battle, and each year, on Memorial Day, | ||
| Americans gather to pay tribute to those courageous men and women | ||
| who, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, gave the last full | ||
| measure of devotion; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby recognize Memorial Day 2016 in solemn | ||
| commemoration of all those who have died in the service of the | ||
| nation. | ||
| Price | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 47 was unanimously adopted by a rising | ||
| vote of the House on February 19, 2015. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
