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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established |
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to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a Texan in the state or |
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federal military forces, and through his courageous actions in |
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France during World War II, Lieutenant General (Brevet) Everett |
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Selden Simpson proved himself a worthy candidate for this |
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prestigious honor; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Clarendon on February 17, 1915, Selden |
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Simpson graduated from Amarillo High School and enlisted in the |
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Texas National Guard in 1933; he earned his bachelor's degree from |
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The University of Texas at Austin and completed his law degree at |
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the University of Colorado in 1940; when the 36th Infantry Division |
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was mobilized in November 1940, he was commissioned a second |
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lieutenant and left his law practice to become platoon leader of |
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Company M, 142nd Infantry Regiment; and |
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WHEREAS, General Simpson would become one of the few ranking |
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officers to serve in the 36th Infantry Division throughout World |
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War II, participating in every major engagement of its 19 months of |
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European combat; he distinguished himself in service in North |
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Africa and attended a British intelligence officers' school in |
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Cairo as well as the Fifth Army Leadership and Battle Training |
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course; as a regimental intelligence officer, he took part in the |
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division's invasion of Italy in 1943, landing in Salerno in |
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September and then in the Anzio perimeter the next spring; and |
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WHEREAS, During the invasion of southern France, General |
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Simpson assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Infantry |
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Regiment, when its commander was wounded; given orders to clear the |
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enemy from the town of Remiremont, he earned the enduring gratitude |
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of the French by liberating the city in a swift yet methodical way, |
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taking the city street by street to avoid massive civilian |
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casualties and the destruction of homes; he remained in the city |
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until September 25 to protect a crossing over the Moselle River and |
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he helped two other battalion leaders to break a counterattack by |
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the Germans; and |
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WHEREAS, On September 28, 1944, at the beginning of the Rhine |
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Campaign against entrenched German forces, General Simpson led an |
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assault platoon in an attack on the mountainous area near |
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Remiremont; although they came under intense enemy fire from both |
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flanks, General Simpson established a command post and moved from |
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company to company to organize positions and point out sectors of |
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fire; while advancing, he was struck by an exploding mortar shell, |
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but despite severe wounds, he refused to be evacuated, insisting |
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that other injured men be removed first; he continued to shout |
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orders and encourage his soldiers to push forward even as two men |
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were assisting him to the battalion aid station, and while his |
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painful wounds were being dressed, he issued plans for the |
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forthcoming attack and maintained his focus on the needs of his men; |
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for his extraordinary actions on that day, he was awarded the |
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Distinguished Service Cross; and |
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WHEREAS, This remarkable Texan returned from an Italian |
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hospital in January 1945 as a lieutenant colonel and resumed |
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command of the 3rd Battalion; one month later, when communication |
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capabilities faltered during an attack on German forces, he crossed |
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the river under enemy observation and direct fire to reach forward |
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elements and guide them, and then returned by the same hazardous |
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route; his resolute leadership in that battle earned him the Silver |
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Star; that March, he led a brilliant attack on a strongly fortified |
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hill in the Siegfried Line defenses, amid heavy small arms fire, and |
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his troops killed 57 Germans, captured 45, and forced the remainder |
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to flee; General Simpson was awarded the Bronze Star, and his |
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outstanding service brought him numerous other decorations, among |
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them the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, |
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the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with six Stars |
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and Arrowhead, and the French Croix de Guerre with Star; and |
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WHEREAS, Deeply loyal to the "Fighting 36th Infantry |
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Division," General Simpson declined the opportunity to serve in the |
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Judge Advocate General Corps after the war; he assisted in the |
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reorganization of the 36th Infantry Division, Texas National Guard, |
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and was appointed as Regimental Executive Officer; in 1949, he |
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became regimental commander of the 142nd Infantry and was promoted |
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to colonel, and he completed Command and General Staff College at |
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Fort Leavenworth; he became the first commander of the newly |
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constituted 1st Battle Group, 142nd Infantry when it was |
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reorganized under the Pentomic concept in 1959 and continued to |
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advance through the ranks, eventually serving with distinction as |
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commander of the 36th (T-Patch) Division until the reorganization |
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of the Texas Army National Guard in 1968; at that time, he became |
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commander of the Arrowhead Emergency Operations Headquarters, and |
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he then assumed command of Headquarters Augmentation, State HQ and |
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HQ Detachment; he was appointed commander of Base Units Command in |
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1971 and was promoted to the rank of Brevet Lieutenant General on |
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his retirement from the Texas National Guard on October 31, 1973; |
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having benefited the guard in myriad capacities throughout his |
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career, he continued to demonstrate his dedication as a member of |
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the National Guard Association of Texas and as a member of the Texas |
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Guard Legislative Task Force; and |
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WHEREAS, Following his discharge from active duty, General |
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Simpson resumed the practice of law in Amarillo with the firm of |
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Simpson, Clayton, and Fullingim and, over time, became a mentor for |
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many young lawyers; he also took a leadership role in the community |
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and served as a director of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, |
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president of the Amarillo Tri-State Fair Association, director of |
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the Potter-Randall County Child Welfare Society, chair of the |
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Greater Amarillo Chapter of the American National Red Cross, and |
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president of the American Legion Hanson Post No. 54; additionally, |
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he was active with the United Way in the 1950s; General Simpson |
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passed away on August 25, 1999, in Amarillo; and |
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WHEREAS, Lieutenant General Everett Selden Simpson served |
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his country and his state with incomparable devotion, and during |
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World War II, he risked his life on numerous occasions to save the |
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lives of his fellow soldiers and advance their mission; his |
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remarkable heroism is most assuredly deserving of this state's |
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supreme military award; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously |
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award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Lieutenant General |
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(Brevet) Everett Selden Simpson in recognition of his valiant |
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actions in World War II. |