IV 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 528 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 25, 2012 Mr. Hunter (for himself, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Austria, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Barletta, Ms. Herrera Beutler, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Bonner, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Broun of Georgia, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Canseco, Mr. Carter, Mr. Coffman of Colorado, Mr. Cole, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Cravaack, Mr. Denham, Mr. Dent, Mr. Dold, Mr. Fleming, Mr. Flores, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Gerlach, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Gingrey of Georgia, Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Griffin of Arkansas, Mr. Griffith of Virginia, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Guthrie, Ms. Hanabusa, Mr. Harper, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Hastings of Washington, Mr. Heck, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Herger, Mr. Huizenga of Michigan, Mr. Hultgren, Mr. Hurt, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois, Mr. Kline, Mr. Labrador, Mr. Lance, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Latham, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Long, Mr. Luetkemeyer, Mr. McCaul, Mr. McCotter, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McKinley, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, Mr. Neugebauer, Mr. Nugent, Mr. Nunnelee, Mr. Palazzo, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Price of Georgia, Mr. Ribble, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, Mr. Rooney, Mr. Runyan, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Schilling, Mrs. Schmidt, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Stivers, Mr. Terry, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Thornberry, Mr. Turner of New York, Mr. West, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Young of Florida, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Young of Indiana, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Ms. Pingree of Maine, and Mr. Turner of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Honoring the service and sacrifice of the members of the United States Armed Forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Whereas in Public Law 107–243 (H.J. Res 114 of the 107th Congress), the House of Representatives and the Senate authorized the President to use the United States Armed Forces as the President determined to be necessary and appropriate against Iraq; Whereas, on March 19, 2003, the United States Armed Forces began military operations in Iraq, with the objective of disarming and removing Saddam Hussein and his regime; Whereas on April 9, 2003, with the removal of a statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square in Baghdad by members of the United States Armed Forces and Iraqi civilians, the United States Armed Forces and coalition forces effectively neutralized the Iraqi Army just three weeks after ground operations began; Whereas, on July 22, 2003, after refusing to surrender, Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein were killed in a firefight with members of the United States Armed Forces in Mosul; Whereas, on December 13, 2003, acting on information provided through coordinated intelligence activity, members of the United States Armed Forces captured Saddam Hussein in Tikrit; Whereas in 2004, in direct response to an insurgent uprising in Fallujah, approximately 15,000 members of the United States Armed Forces and coalition forces entered the insurgent stronghold and reclaimed the city; Whereas, on October 15, 2005, the new Constitution of Iraq was ratified and two months later the first election for the Iraqi Council of Representatives was facilitated; Whereas, on June 7, 2006, in a significant blow to the insurgent campaign, a United States Air Force airstrike near Baquba killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq; Whereas, on January 10, 2007, with the number of members of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq totaling approximately 140,000, a surge of 21,000 American troops was announced under the banner of A New Way Forward; Whereas, on February 10, 2007, General David H. Petraeus, the principal author of United States counter insurgency strategy, is named commander of Multinational Forces-Iraq; Whereas, on June 1, 2007, in what was called the “The Awakening,” Sunni tribe members join the United States Armed Forces and coalition forces in targeting militants in Anbar Province and other locations, leading to a significant decrease in insurgent violence; Whereas, on September 1, 2008, the United States Armed Forces in Anbar Province formally transferred security responsibilities to Iraqi forces; Whereas, on February 1, 2009, reductions in the number of members of the United States Armed Forces serving in Iraq began; Whereas, on June 30, 2009, the United States Armed Forces withdrew from Baghdad and other cities in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and the government of Iraq; Whereas, on March 7, 2010, with the support of the United States Armed Forces and coalition forces, Iraqi parliamentary elections are held under the control of Iraqi security forces, with voter turnout registering above 60 percent; Whereas in September 2010, the remaining combat forces of the United States Armed Forces departed from Iraq, prompting the redesignation of the contingency operation from Operation Iraq Freedom to Operation New Dawn; Whereas, on December 18, 2011, all remaining members of the United States Armed Forces departed from Iraq; Whereas between March 2003 and December 2011, more than 1.5 million members of the United States Armed Forces served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; Whereas 4,486 members of the United States Armed Forces made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn and more than 32,000 members of the United States Armed Forces were wounded during almost nine years of military operations in Iraq; Whereas five Medals of Honor, the highest United States award for military valor, were awarded for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; and Whereas at least 327 Silver Stars, 21 Navy Crosses, and 15 Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)extends its gratitude to the more than 1.5 million members of the United States Armed Forces, from both the regular and reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; (2)recognizes the success of the United States Armed Forces in operations against a dangerous and determined enemy; (3)recognizes the tremendous personal sacrifice of the members of the United States Armed Forces who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, many of whom were committed to multiple deployments away from loved ones, and the contributions of military families on the home front; (4)pays tribute to the 4,486 members of the United States Armed Forces who lost their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; and (5)commits itself to honoring the memory of these heroes for their courage and sacrifice.