Bill Text: TX HR104 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of Vietnam War correspondent and author Joe Galloway.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-09-08 - Reported enrolled [HR104 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR104-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 104 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The life of a highly respected war correspondent and | ||
| author drew to a close with the passing of Joe Galloway on | ||
| August 18, 2021, at the age of 79; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born on November 13, 1941, in Refugio, Joseph Lee | ||
| Galloway Jr. was the son of Joseph Galloway Sr. and Marian Dewvell | ||
| Galloway; less than a month after his birth, the Japanese attack on | ||
| Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, and his | ||
| father and many of his uncles joined the military; concern about | ||
| their well-being colored his family life throughout his early | ||
| childhood and influenced his later decision to become a wartime | ||
| journalist; and | ||
| WHEREAS, After first being hired by The Advocate newspaper in | ||
| Victoria at age 17, Mr. Galloway went to work for United Press | ||
| International, and his foreign assignments for the company | ||
| ultimately included postings to Japan, Indonesia, India, | ||
| Singapore, and Russia; as the possibility of direct U.S. military | ||
| intervention in Vietnam grew larger in the early 1960s, he made | ||
| repeated requests to be transferred to the country; in April 1965, | ||
| he got his wish, arriving in Saigon shortly after the first U.S. | ||
| combat troops were deployed; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Thrust into a war zone as a young reporter, | ||
| Mr. Galloway became both a firsthand witness and a participant in | ||
| one of the war's major battles; during the four-day clash at Ia | ||
| Drang in November 1965, he was embedded with the 1st Battalion, 7th | ||
| Cavalry Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harold | ||
| Moore; he armed himself as he accompanied the troops through the | ||
| jungles of Vietnam's Central Highlands, and he would later be | ||
| recognized with a Bronze Star with "V" device for his heroism in | ||
| rescuing wounded soldiers under enemy fire; he was the only | ||
| civilian to be awarded an army medal of valor for actions in combat | ||
| during that conflict; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Though he grew disillusioned with the war, | ||
| Mr. Galloway strove to report on the events that transpired with | ||
| accuracy and objectivity, and he developed a deep sense of loyalty | ||
| and appreciation for the soldiers who were risking their lives on | ||
| the battlefield; the close friendship that he formed with Harold | ||
| Moore, who was later promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, | ||
| would lead to their collaboration on the book We Were Soldiers | ||
| Once . . . and Young, which was published in 1992 and adapted into | ||
| the film We Were Soldiers; the book drew on articles Mr. Galloway | ||
| had authored on the Battle of Ia Drang for U.S. News & World Report, | ||
| and his writing in that series was honored with a National Magazine | ||
| Award in 1991; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Galloway and General Moore subsequently worked | ||
| together on a sequel, We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the | ||
| Battlefields of Vietnam, that was published in 2008; in the forward | ||
| of that book, Mr. Galloway was hailed by General H. Norman | ||
| Schwarzkopf, commander of allied forces in the Persian Gulf War, as | ||
| "the finest combat correspondent of our generation--a soldier's | ||
| reporter and a soldier's friend"; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Galloway's journalism career also included | ||
| assignments for Knight Ridder Newspapers; in 2003, he was among a | ||
| group of reporters with that company who challenged the George W. | ||
| Bush administration about the information that was being used to | ||
| justify the invasion of Iraq; this incident was later dramatized in | ||
| the 2017 film Shock and Awe; an outspoken critic of war, | ||
| Mr. Galloway was equally a steadfast supporter of American soldiers | ||
| and veterans, who he believed deserved the full measure of funding | ||
| that was needed to help them after they returned to their civilian | ||
| lives; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Galloway enjoyed the love | ||
| and support of his wife, Dr. Grace Lim Galloway; his family | ||
| included two sons, Lee and Josh, and a stepdaughter, Li Mei, along | ||
| with five grandchildren, Joaquin, Julian, Jemma, Connor, and Jae | ||
| Li; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Joe Galloway's career was defined by his deep | ||
| empathy for the sacrifices made by military service members and his | ||
| enduring dedication to journalistic integrity, and he leaves behind | ||
| a remarkable legacy that will continue to be admired for years to | ||
| come; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
| Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of | ||
| Joseph Lee Galloway Jr. and extend sincere condolences to his | ||
| relatives and friends; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
| Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Joe | ||
| Galloway. | ||
| Fierro | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 104 was unanimously adopted by a | ||
| rising vote of the House on September 2, 2021. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
