[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 1, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E165-E166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATING THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TEXAS RANGERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. CHIP ROY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2023

  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 200th anniversary 
of the Texas Rangers, Texas's oldest law enforcement agency.
  In 1821, Stephen F. Austin, the ``Father of Texas,'' brought 300 
families to settle land in modern-day Texas. There was no regular army, 
so Austin assembled a fighting force to provide protection from 
Karankawas, Comanches, and eventually Mexican raiders--giving rise to 
the Texas Rangers.
  Texans did what sovereign states have done throughout history: we 
stepped up and protected our communities. We stood up for the rule of 
law when there was none.
  Much of the action seen by the early Rangers involved bloody 
conflicts with Comanche tribes and gangs of bandits who threatened the 
safety of Texans.
  In the years following, the Rangers proved indispensable during major 
events such as the Mexican American War, the pursuit of criminals 
Bonnie and Clyde in 1934, and Hurricane Harvey rescue and recovery in 
2017.
  As local law enforcement slowly assumed much of the day-to-day 
peacekeeping role that the Texas Rangers held before the turn of the 
20th century, the Texas Rangers now operate as a key investigative body 
for the State of Texas.
  Rangers are renowned for conducting major criminal investigations, 
suppression of organized crime, border reconnaissance, SWAT, bomb 
squad, special rapid response, crisis negotiation, joint intelligence 
center management, and investigation of unsolved crimes.
  The impact of the Texas Rangers on the Lone Star State cannot be 
understated. My home county, Hays County, is named for John Coffee 
Hays, a renowned Ranger appointed by Sam Houston. My great-great-
grandfather John Vaughan Roy served as a Texas Ranger in Hays, Travis, 
and Blanco Counties, protecting our future home and holding the line 
against lawlessness.
  To the west, Captain Charles Schreiner of Kerr County served with 
distinction and went on to donate land for the Schreiner Institute, a 
military school in my district. Today, I am honored to represent 
``Ranger Ray'' Martinez, a living legend in New Braunfels with a long 
history of heroism and service. The Ranger spirit is also alive and 
well today in my friend and longtime Texas Ranger David Maxwell, who 
solved the over 35-year-old cold case in the unspeakable murder of his 
own sister.
  ``They were men who could not be stampeded.'' That's how former DPS 
director, Homer Garrison, Jr. described them. And they have certainly 
lived up to that.
  As with so many other great figures of our history, some today wish 
to rewrite the legacy

[[Page E166]]

of the Texas Rangers, focusing only on the harshest of narratives from 
the comfort of modern-day America while ignoring the sacrifice of these 
men to settle the west and establish the rule of law.
  The scripture reminds us: ``Greater love has no one than this, that 
he lay down his life for his friends.'' These heroes wake up every 
morning and put their lives on the line to serve and protect their 
fellow Texans.
  The Texas Rangers are owed a debt of gratitude that cannot be fully 
repaid. But today, we do thank them, and we congratulate them on 200 
years of selfless service.

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