H.R. No. 1149

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Joyce Eilene Rice Denke of Riesel, who served with
	the Red Cross during the Vietnam War, has been featured in the Waco
	Tribune-Herald as one of its Voices of Valor; and
	WHEREAS, Ms. Denke was a young woman engaged to be married
	when her fiancé, a soldier from Fort Hood, was killed in Vietnam;
	three years later, in 1970, having worked with VISTA and having
	earned a degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, she
	joined the Red Cross and volunteered to go to Vietnam herself, to
	give something back to the military in honor of her fiancé; and
	WHEREAS, In Vietnam, Ms. Denke served with the Red Cross
	program known as Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas as a
	recreation worker, or "Donut Dollie"; during the program's seven
	years of operation in Southeast Asia, 627 young women worked with
	the SRAO in that capacity, spending six days a week on duty,
	interacting with an average of 280,500 service members each month,
	and logging more than two million miles in jeeps, trucks, and
	helicopters; over the course of her year with the program,
	Ms. Denke helped to boost the morale of combat personnel at landing
	zones, hospitals, fire-support bases, and other locations; she
	served six months at Cam Ranh Bay with the marines and another six
	months with the army and air force at Da Nang; and
	WHEREAS, After returning home, Ms. Denke served in the Red
	Cross for another seven years and then took a job with IBM in Waco;
	it was there that she met her future husband, Dewain Denke, whom she
	married in 1979; in the years since, she has been featured in a
	documentary film, A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War's Red Cross
	Girls; and
	WHEREAS, Through her bravery, compassion, and dedication,
	Joyce Denke brought a friendly face and a touch of home to members
	of the United States armed forces during a desperate time, and her
	fellow citizens owe her a lasting debt of gratitude; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
	Legislature hereby honor Joyce Denke for her exemplary service to
	her country as a member of the Red Cross and congratulate her on her
	recognition as one of the Voices of Valor by the Waco
	Tribune-Herald; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Ms. Denke as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Anderson of McLennan
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1149 was adopted by the House on March
	19, 2015, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House