Bill Text: TX HCR120 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Directing the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to George Benton Turner.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-10 - Signed by the Governor [HCR120 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HCR120-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Directing the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to George Benton Turner.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-10 - Signed by the Governor [HCR120 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HCR120-Introduced.html
86R7440 JGH-D | ||
By: Dean | H.C.R. No. 120 |
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WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established | ||
to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state | ||
or federal military forces, and U.S. Army Private First Class | ||
George Benton Turner proved himself a deserving recipient of this | ||
prestigious commendation with his heroic actions during World War | ||
II; and | ||
WHEREAS, George Turner was born in Longview in 1899, the son | ||
of Gaines and Emme Turner, and he later attended Wentworth Military | ||
Academy in Lexington, Missouri; during World War I, he enlisted in | ||
the U.S. Marine Corps, but the conflict ended before he had a chance | ||
to see action; after the war, he settled in California and married; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, When the United States entered World War II, | ||
Mr. Turner answered his nation's call to duty once again and | ||
enlisted in the U.S. Army even though he was already in his forties; | ||
during training, he demonstrated his dedication to duty and his | ||
determination to prove himself in combat, and he quickly won the | ||
respect of his officers and fellow soldiers, many of whom were young | ||
enough to be his children; on several occasions, he refused a | ||
promotion, knowing it would keep him from the front lines; and | ||
WHEREAS, By 1945, Private Turner was serving in France with | ||
the 499th Armored Field Artillery Battalion of the 14th Armored | ||
Division; on January 3, he was acting as a forward observer in the | ||
village of Philippsbourg, only a few miles from the German border, | ||
when he found himself cut off from his unit by an enemy armored | ||
infantry attack; and | ||
WHEREAS, After encountering an Allied infantry company that | ||
was retreating before the German advance, Private Turner spotted | ||
two enemy tanks and 75 German soldiers advancing up the main street | ||
of the village; despite the staggering odds, he held his ground | ||
under heavy fire and used a rocket launcher to destroy one of the | ||
tanks and to disable the other; he then removed a machine gun from a | ||
nearby half-track and used it to further disrupt the enemy | ||
onslaught; in the ensuing American counterattack, two U.S. tanks | ||
were disabled, and Private Turner again sprang into action, firing | ||
a light machine gun from the hip to hold off the Germans so that the | ||
American tank crews could escape; he attempted to rescue a soldier | ||
from one of the burning tanks but was driven back and wounded when | ||
the tank's ammunition exploded; and | ||
WHEREAS, Despite his injuries, Private Turner refused to be | ||
evacuated, and he continued to fight until the next day; during that | ||
time, he helped drive off an enemy patrol, took part in the capture | ||
of a German position, and drove a truck through heavy fire to | ||
deliver wounded men to an aid station in the rear; and | ||
WHEREAS, In recognition of his magnificent heroism, Private | ||
Turner was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor by | ||
President Harry Truman on August 23, 1945; at the age of 46, he was | ||
one of the oldest individuals to receive that illustrious | ||
commendation in World War II; following his return to civilian | ||
life, he died in Encino, California, in 1963, and was buried in | ||
Arlington National Cemetery; and | ||
WHEREAS, George Turner's extraordinary actions on the field | ||
of battle distinguished him as a warrior of peerless courage, and it | ||
is indeed appropriate that he be honored with the highest military | ||
award granted by the state where he was born; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously | ||
award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to George Benton Turner | ||
in recognition of his valiant service during World War II. |