| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution honoring World War II Veteran Roens W. |
| 3 | Shearwood. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, after having gained recognition as a student at |
| 6 | West Point Preparatory School for his excellent qualities of |
| 7 | character and intelligence, a high sense of duty, and a desire |
| 8 | to advance in the Army, then-Private Roens W. Shearwood was |
| 9 | recommended on October 5, 1941, as a candidate for flying cadet, |
| 10 | the resultant appointment taking him to Wichita Falls, Texas, |
| 11 | where he studied navigation, meteorology, and related |
| 12 | aeronautical courses until the government closed the flight |
| 13 | training program there and he applied for transfer to Flight |
| 14 | Engineer Gunner on B-17 planes, and |
| 15 | WHEREAS, in November 1944, Technical Sergeant Shearwood's |
| 16 | orders took him to England, assigned to the 351st Bombardment |
| 17 | Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group, at Thorpe Abbot Airdrome, at |
| 18 | which post he achieved an excellent record for his participation |
| 19 | in 21 highly successful missions over enemy-occupied Europe and |
| 20 | was awarded the Air Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, and |
| 21 | WHEREAS, Sgt. Shearwood's 22nd mission began on April 10, |
| 22 | 1945, when his B-17 Flying Fortress, heading toward an airfield |
| 23 | near Magdeburg, Germany, was attacked by two German jet- |
| 24 | propelled planes and sent spinning out of control and in flames, |
| 25 | killing six of the crew members and leaving three others in |
| 26 | enemy hands, and |
| 27 | WHEREAS, in spite of the machine-gun fire directed at him, |
| 28 | Sgt. Shearwood managed to parachute to the ground, landing in a |
| 29 | wooded area, where he hid under a brush pile and eluded the |
| 30 | enemy for three days and nights before he cautiously approached |
| 31 | a passing procession of American armored vehicles and was |
| 32 | enabled to make his way safely back to England and the United |
| 33 | States, and |
| 34 | WHEREAS, not content with the service he had given to his |
| 35 | country during World War II, Roens W. Shearwood later enlisted |
| 36 | as an Air Reserve Technician in the United States Air Force |
| 37 | Reserves and returned to active service as Staff Sergeant |
| 38 | Shearwood during the Cuban crisis of 1961 and 1962, NOW, |
| 39 | THEREFORE, |
| 40 |
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| 41 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 42 | Florida: |
| 43 |
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| 44 | That the House of Representatives proudly and gratefully |
| 45 | acknowledges Veteran Roens W. Shearwood, truly a sterling |
| 46 | example of "America's Greatest Generation." |
| 47 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 48 | presented to Roens W. Shearwood as a tangible token of the |
| 49 | sentiments expressed herein. |