H.R. No. 988
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The American GI Forum, one of the country's leading
civil rights organizations, was founded by Mexican American
veterans in the aftermath of World War II; and
WHEREAS, Mexican Americans have long served with valor in the
armed forces of this country, compiling an exceptional record of
heroism; in the Second World War alone, 12 Mexican Americans, 9 of
them from Texas, earned the Medal of Honor, becoming the nation's
most decorated minority group in that conflict; on returning home,
however, many Latino veterans found themselves denied benefits that
they had earned under the G.I. Bill of Rights; and
WHEREAS, To redress that injustice, 700 Hispanic veterans,
led by Dr. Hector P. Garcia, founded the American GI Forum in Corpus
Christi on March 26, 1948; successful in its efforts to achieve
equitable treatment from the Veterans Administration, the forum
turned its attention to other veterans' concerns, such as
inadequate hospital care and the lack of Mexican American
representation on draft boards; and
WHEREAS, The forum demonstrated its effectiveness decisively
in 1949, when it intervened to help the family of Private Felix
Longoria, a soldier who had been killed on a volunteer mission in
the Philippines during World War II; when Private Longoria's body
was finally recovered and returned to his home in Three Rivers,
Texas, the local funeral home refused his family permission to use
its chapel for a service; after the forum sought assistance from
members of the Texas congressional delegation, Senator Lyndon
Johnson arranged for the soldier's burial in Arlington National
Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, In the 1950s, the forum began to use the legal system
to combat segregation and other discriminatory practices; forum
lawyers helped to secure a landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme
Court in Hernandez v. the State of Texas, in 1954, a decision
finding that Mexican Americans were discriminated against as a
class and that they were entitled to protection under the 14th
Amendment; the forum also fought to end separate schooling for
Mexican American children, a practice ruled unlawful in 1957; and
WHEREAS, During that same decade, the forum conducted voter
registration drives, confronted incidents of police brutality,
addressed the problems of migrant workers, and sponsored student
scholarships; and
WHEREAS, The group took the name American GI Forum of Texas on
September 29, 1954, and became a national organization in 1958; Dr.
Clotilde Garcia, Dr. Hector Garcia's sister, founded a women's
auxiliary in 1956, and junior GI forums were also launched in some
areas; and
WHEREAS, Today, the forum embraces more than 500 chapters
across the nation and in Puerto Rico; it continues to support
returning veterans and their communities through such endeavors as
the Veterans Outreach Program, which provides training,
employment, and counseling for veterans in the Southwest, and
Ser-Jobs for Progress (SER), whose affiliates operate employment
training centers and residential and other services in Puerto Rico
and the continental U.S.; and
WHEREAS, For more than half a century, the American GI Forum
has played a vital role in our national life, advancing the cause of
social justice and touching the lives of countless Americans, and
it is indeed deserving of commendation for its exemplary efforts in
furthering the highest ideals of this nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
Legislature hereby honor the American GI Forum on the 59th
anniversary of its founding and extend to all those associated with
this organization sincere appreciation for their outstanding
service; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the American GI Forum as an expression of high regard
by the Texas House of Representatives.
Ortiz, Jr.
Herrero
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 988 was adopted by the House on April
13, 2007, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
A Bill by Juan Garcia (no relation) creating a recognition day in honor of Dr. Hector P. Garcia.
The chair laid out HB3535.
The chair recognized Representative Garcia to explain the measure.
Testimony was taken. (See attached witness list.)
The chair recognized Representative Garcia to close on the measure.
The bill was left pending without objection.
H.B. No. 3535
relating to creating a recognition day in honor of Dr. Hector P.
Garcia.
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 662, Government Code, is
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
