TITLE: Commemorating April 9, 2011, as Former POW Recognition Day.

SUMMARY: Commemorating April 9, 2011, as Former POW Recognition Day.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, For thousands of members of the American armed forces who have served in wartime, the heat of battle has been followed by the hardships and challenges of life as a prisoner of war; and WHEREAS, Harsh conditions and psychological duress have been the common condition of POWs, and often the degree of cruelty inflicted has reached the level of atrocity; the history of this country's military conflicts is replete with such infamous cases; among the horrors that attended the American Civil War were the Andersonville and Libby prison camps in the South and Elmira in the North where, collectively, more than 16,000 prisoners died from a lack of food, inadequate medical care, wretched sanitation, and exposure to the elements; altogether, it is estimated that 56,000 men perished in Civil War prisons; and WHEREAS, In World War II, the notorious Bataan Death March followed on the heels of the surrender of 70,000 American and Filipino troops to the Japanese Army on April 9, 1942; treatment of those prisoners was so brutal that the Japanese officer initially in command was later tried as a war criminal and executed; still further misery awaited POWs in the Philippines; in late 1944, with U.S. forces poised to recapture the islands, the Japanese Army crammed more than 126,000 Allied prisoners into the holds of merchant ships for the purpose of evacuation; many of those men died as a result of fetid, horrifically overcrowded conditions and a lack of food and water; in addition, over 21,000 Americans are believed to have been killed or injured when the "hell ships" carrying them were attacked by American planes and submarines; and WHEREAS, American prisoner-of-war deaths during the Korean War officially totaled more than 2,800, for a rate of over 40 percent; before the creation of permanent prison camps, many of those captured died on death marches to temporary facilities; casualties were especially high in the first two years of the war, largely due to a lack of food, shelter, and medicine; prisoners also suffered physical abuse, and there were reported cases of torture; and WHEREAS, U.S. troops captured during the Vietnam War were kept in primitive conditions in South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; the so-called "Hanoi Hilton" prison in North Vietnam was the scene of repeated beatings and torture, while one out of every three Americans taken prisoner by the Viet Cong died from disease, injury, or execution; and WHEREAS, In today's military, women are increasingly assuming risks on a par with men; Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson, of El Paso, became one of the first two female POWs of Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 23, 2003, when her convoy was ambushed in Nasiriya; wounded in both ankles, she was held captive with other members of her group until they were rescued on April 13, 2003; and WHEREAS, Those prisoners of war who have survived their ordeal have continued to lead lives of service; among the most prominent is Congressman Sam Johnson, of Plano, who was shot down during his second tour of duty as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War and who subsequently spent nearly seven years as a POW in North Vietnam; after retiring from a highly decorated 29-year career in the United States Air Force, Sam Johnson served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, when he was elected to the U.S. Congress; and WHEREAS, During the Vietnam War, the plight of American military personnel who were listed as being either captured or missing in action gave rise to the creation of the POW/MIA flag; depicting the silhouette of a man flanked by a watchtower and a strand of barbed wire, the flag flies, at the direction of Congress, over the White House, the Capitol, and other specified sites on the occasion of six annual national observances, including Independence Day and Veterans Day; and WHEREAS, Our nation is fortunate to have sons and daughters whose love of country leads them to join one of the uniformed branches, yet we are aware that in answering their nation's call, they assume enormous burdens and risks; to those who have known the terrible rigors of prison camps while serving in this country's behalf, Americans owe a profound debt and eternal tribute; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby commemorate April 9, 2011, as Former POW Recognition Day and honor all Texans who have experienced life as a prisoner of war for their immeasurable courage, commitment, and sacrifice. Price Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1194 was adopted by the House on April 6, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House