Bill Text: TX HR47 | 2021 | 87th Legislature 1st Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulating Vernon Ollar on the occasion of his 100th birthday and honoring him for his patriotic service during World War II.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-07-15 - Filed [HR47 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HR47-Introduced.html
| 87S11093 BPG-D | ||
| By: Murr | H.R. No. 47 | |
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| WHEREAS, Vernon Ollar of Kerr County is celebrating his 100th | ||
| birthday on July 26, 2021, and this joyous occasion provides a | ||
| fitting opportunity to recognize this esteemed member of the | ||
| Greatest Generation for his service during World War II; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born in Moline, Illinois, in 1921, Vern Ollar grew | ||
| up in neighboring Rock Island; he worked at an ordnance plant before | ||
| joining the United States Army in December 1942; after basic | ||
| training with the Chemical Warfare Service at Camp Sibert in | ||
| Alabama, he was stationed at Camp Polk in Louisiana, with the 81st | ||
| Chemical Mortar Battalion, and then went on mountain maneuvers at | ||
| Camp Pickens in Virginia; he was deployed to England aboard the | ||
| Capetown Castle, a converted British ocean liner, and following an | ||
| arduous journey, he trained for months in the frigid English | ||
| Channel in preparation for D-Day; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Mr. Ollar landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, | ||
| with the 116th Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, in the first wave | ||
| of the attack; as a mortarman, he had to enter deep, icy water to | ||
| drag the weapons ashore while dodging enemy fire and anti-tank | ||
| mines; he was the gunner for his squad, which quickly took out a | ||
| machine gun nest; after securing the bluff tops, the division | ||
| advanced, and Mr. Ollar and his comrades had to seek food and | ||
| shelter at abandoned farmsteads; he took part in the bitter | ||
| fighting through hedgerows and proceeded across France and Belgium | ||
| to Germany; for his valor at Dillingen, he received a bronze star; | ||
| toward the end of the war, he was also involved in the development | ||
| of radar technology to detect the origin of incoming artillery | ||
| rounds; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Over the course of a century, Vern Ollar has not only | ||
| bravely served his nation, but has also met the challenges and | ||
| opportunities of a long life with fortitude, earning the lasting | ||
| respect and admiration of all who are fortunate enough to know him; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas | ||
| Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby congratulate Vernon Ollar | ||
| on the occasion of his 100th birthday and honor him for his | ||
| patriotic service during World War II; and, be it further | ||
| RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
| prepared for Mr. Ollar as an expression of high regard by the Texas | ||
| House of Representatives. | ||
