The Texas House and Senate came together with a common purpose Thursday morning.

Senators and representatives met in an unusual joint session to honor Texas service members who lost their lives in the war on terror.

Names of the service members were read aloud to a House chamber filled with family members of those who lost their lives. Governor Rick Perry personally greeted family members to extend the state's appreciation for and sorrow at their loss.

Family members received flags and a resolution honoring those who died.

This ceremony comes ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. To date, 322 service members from Texas have died in Iraq.