[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 37 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 37

  Expressing the sense of Congress that a site in Arlington National 
 Cemetery should be provided for a memorial marker to honor the memory 
    of the 14 members of the Army's 24th Infantry Division who have 
                      received the Medal of Honor.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2013

  Mr. Higgins (for himself and Mr. Collins of New York) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress that a site in Arlington National 
 Cemetery should be provided for a memorial marker to honor the memory 
    of the 14 members of the Army's 24th Infantry Division who have 
                      received the Medal of Honor.

Whereas the 24th Infantry Division of the Army was established in the fall of 
        1941 from the Hawaiian Division in preparation for war on the Pacific 
        Front;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division ascribed the motto of ``First to Fight'' and 
        a taro leaf for its insignia, and later became recognized as ``the 
        Victory Division'' for its valiant efforts;
Whereas during World War II, the 24th Infantry Division was one of the first 
        United States Army divisions to see combat in the war and among the last 
        to stop fighting;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division established coastal defenses on the north 
        side of Oahu Island quickly following the attack on Pearl Harbor;
Whereas despite torrential rain and marshy terrain, the 24th Infantry Division 
        quickly seized the Hollandia Airdrome in Dutch New Guinea and three 
        other Japanese airfields, efforts that were critical in securing all of 
        New Guinea and establishing a headquarters for General Douglas 
        MacArthur;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division spearheaded the successful mission to 
        liberate the Philippines from the Japanese by securing both Leyte and 
        later the island of Luzon;
Whereas at the end of World War II, the 24th Infantry Division was one of only 
        10 United States Army divisions to remain activated;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division was the first fighting unit deployed to Korea 
        in response to the North Korea's attack on the Republic of Korea in 
        1950, and the first to engage the North Koreans in the war's first 
        battle at Osan;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division, with its service in Korea, became the first 
        United States Division to actively serve under the emblem of the nascent 
        United Nations;
Whereas during the Korean War, the 24th Infantry Division was heavily engaged on 
        the front lines defending the Republic of Korea and critical in delaying 
        North Korean and Chinese advances at the Pusan Perimeter;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division remained on front-line duty after the 
        armistice to patrol the demarcation line in the event combat would 
        resume;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division, along with the Marine Corps, were the first 
        United States troops ever sent to Lebanon as intervention forces to 
        provide security assistance in 1958;
Whereas the 24th Infantry Division was critical in operations in Berlin, El 
        Salvador, Somalia, Kuwait, Haiti, Bosnia, and the first to be deployed 
        to Iraq for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm; and
Whereas 14 soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division, Captain Francis B. Wai, 
        Private Harold H. Moon, Jr., Sergeant Charles E. Mower, Private First 
        Class James H. Diamond, Major General William F. Dean, Sergeant George 
        D. Libby, Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich, Corporal Mitchell Red 
        Cloud, Jr., First Lieutenant Carl H. Dodd, Sergeant First Class Nelson 
        V. Brittin, Sergeant First Class Ray E. Duke, Sergeant First Class 
        Stanley T. Adams, Master Sergeant Woodrow W. Keeble, and Private First 
        Class Mack A. Jordan, have received the Medal of Honor for their 
        sacrificial and intrepid acts on the battlefield in World War II and the 
        Korean War: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the proud history of the 24th Infantry 
        Division and the soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division who 
        made countless sacrifices to protect the Nation's freedom;
            (2) remembers with profound gratitude, sorrow, and respect 
        the 14 soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division who received the 
        Medal of Honor; and
            (3) encourages the provision of an appropriate site in 
        Arlington National Cemetery for a memorial marker to honor the 
        memory of the 14 soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division who 
        received the Medal of Honor, as long as the Secretary of the 
        Army has exclusive authority to approve the design and site of 
        the memorial marker.
                                 <all>