[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1217 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 1217

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                      December 1, 2010.
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division was first activated as the 10th Light 
        Division on July 15, 1943, at Camp Hale, Colorado;
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division began a rigorous training regimen designed to 
        prepare for the imminent invasion of Axis-controlled Europe;
Whereas, on January 7, 1944, the 10th Mountain Division patch was authorized, 
        featuring a blue background with two red-crossed bayonets forming the 
        Roman numeral for 10, emblazoned over a powder keg representing the 
        Division's explosive power;
Whereas, in November 1944, the 10th Light Division was redesignated the 10th 
        Mountain Division and soldiers were first authorized to wear the blue 
        and white ``Mountain'' tab;
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division first entered combat on January 1945, being 
        deployed to the North Apennine Mountains in Italy opposite battle-
        hardened German mountain troops;
Whereas soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division assaulted the German lines along 
        the Monte Belvedere-Monte della Torraccia Ridge in a series of stunning 
        attacks that broke the German Apennine front;
Whereas, on April 14, 1945, the 10th Mountain Division served as the vanguard of 
        the Fifth Army's drive to the Po Valley, suffering tremendous casualties 
        in a hail of artillery, mortar, and small arms fire from German troops;
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division continued its relentless drive to liberate 
        Italy, culminating in the Division's occupation of Lake Garda and 
        preventing the escape of German troops to the north through the Brenner 
        Pass;
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division saw one of its soldiers, Private First Class 
        John D. Magrath posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor;
Whereas, on November 30, 1945, the 10th Mountain Division was temporarily 
        inactivated;
Whereas, on July 1, 1948, the 10th Mountain Division was reactivated at Fort 
        Riley, Kansas, as a training division, preparing 123,000 soldiers for 
        Cold War service and combat in the Korean Peninsula;
Whereas, between 1955 and 1958, the 10th Mountain Division was redesignated a 
        combat infantry division and deployed to West Germany, protecting 
        strategic North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) points against 
        possible Soviet aggression;
Whereas, on June 14, 1958, the 10th Mountain Division was again temporarily 
        inactivated;
Whereas, on February 13, 1985, the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) was 
        activated in the heart of the North Country on Fort Drum, New York;
Whereas, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 10th Mountain 
        Division soldiers contributed support personnel to the 24th Infantry 
        Division in Iraq;
Whereas, in December 1992, 10th Mountain Division soldiers deployed to Somalia 
        in support of Operation Restore Hope, bringing much-needed security to 
        relief operations;
Whereas, on May 4, 1993, 10th Mountain Division soldiers began supporting 
        Operation Continue Hope under the direction of the United Nations 
        Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM II);
Whereas, on October 3, 1993, and October 4, 1993, 10th Mountain Division 
        soldiers of 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry fought a brutal gun battle 
        through Mogadishu to secure an evacuation route for Rangers surrounded 
        in the city;
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division spearheaded Operation Uphold Democracy in 
        Haiti from September 19, 1994, to January 15, 1995, conducting the 
        United States Army's first carrier-based air assault;
Whereas, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, units 
        of the 10th Mountain Division first deployed in support of Operation 
        Enduring Freedom in late 2001, fighting to secure remote elements of 
        Afghanistan against Taliban forces;
Whereas, in 2003, the 10th Mountain Division headquarters and 1st Brigade 
        returned to Afghanistan to battle insurgents in remote areas of the 
        country and provide humanitarian assistance;
Whereas, from May to December 2003, the 2d Brigade, 10th Mountain Division 
        headquarters, and 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry deployed to Afghanistan 
        in support of Task Force Phoenix and training for the Afghan National 
        Army;
Whereas, in July 2004, the 2d Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, deployed to Iraq 
        in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, securing the areas west of 
        Baghdad and enduring more enemy contacts and casualties than any other 
        unit in Iraq at the time;
Whereas the 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in late 2005 in support of 
        Operation Iraqi Freedom, bringing security to embattled areas in and 
        around Baghdad;
Whereas the 2d Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in August of 2006, moving in 
        to an area referred to as the ``Triangle of Death'', vastly improving 
        security and enduring a grueling 15-month deployment;
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division headquarters and 3d Brigade Combat Team 
        deployed again to Afghanistan in 2006, serving in the eastern 
        Afghanistan-Pakistan border region;
Whereas the 1st Brigade Combat Team returned to Iraq in 2007, conducting 
        stability and security operations in Kirkuk and training the Sons of 
        Iraq to protect their neighborhoods from insurgent violence;
Whereas, in April 2008, the 10th Mountain Division headquarters and 4th Brigade 
        Combat Team deployed to Baghdad, coordinating and fighting large-scale 
        operations such as Operation Phantom Phoenix;
Whereas, in January 2009, the 3d Brigade Combat Team deployed to the Logar and 
        Wardak provinces in Afghanistan, guarding the southern approaches to 
        Kabul and bringing much-needed security to both provinces; and
Whereas the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division continue to serve in Iraq and 
        Afghanistan, with their families supporting them through arduous 
        deployments: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the achievements of the soldiers serving in the 10th 
        Mountain Division, as well as citizen-soldiers of the Army Reserve and 
        National Guard who have fought with the 10th Mountain Division during 
        its 60-year history;
            (2) expresses its gratitude to the family members of the 10th 
        Mountain Division for their tireless service and sacrifice on behalf of 
        the United States;
            (3) commends the North Country community for their unwavering 
        support of Fort Drum and the men and women serving in uniform; and
            (4) offers its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of 
        the 10th Mountain Division soldiers who have given the ultimate 
        sacrifice in the defense of the United States.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.