[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 308 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 308
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 2nd Infantry Division.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 26, 2017
Ms. Cantwell (for herself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Cruz, and Mrs. Murray)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 2nd Infantry Division.
Whereas, October 26, 2017, is the 100th anniversary of the organization of the
2nd Infantry Division;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division--
(1) was established in October 1917 at Bourmont, France, as the 2nd
Division;
(2) was the first division organized on foreign soil; and
(3) has been proudly serving since 1917;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division is the only Army unit that has ever been
commanded by a Marine Corps Officer because, at the time of activation,
the 2nd Infantry Division--
(1) was composed of both Army and Marine units; and
(2) was commanded during World War I by Marine Corps Generals Brigadier
General Charles A. Doyen and Major General John A. Lejeune;
Whereas, since the heroic start of the 2nd Infantry Division, the 2nd Infantry
Division has played an integral part in the history of the United States
by serving in--
(1) World War I;
(2) World War II;
(3) the Korean War;
(4) the Cold War;
(5) Operation Iraqi Freedom;
(6) Operation Enduring Freedom; and
(7) current operations in South Korea;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division--
(1) drew first blood at the Battle of Belleau Wood, France in May 1918;
and
(2) contributed to shattering the 4-year stalemate on the battlefield
during the Chateau-Thierry campaign that followed;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division played a central role in other monumental
struggles of World War I, such as--
(1) the Battle of Soissons;
(2) the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge;
(3) the Meuse-Argonne Offensive;
(4) the 1918 campaigns in--
G (A) Ile-de-France; and
G (B) Lorraine;
(5) the Battle of Saint-Mihiel;
(6) the Battle of the Aisne; and
(7) the Aisne-Marne Offensive;
Whereas immediately after the establishment of the 2nd Infantry Division (then
commonly known as the ``Indianhead Division'') the 2nd Infantry Division
started to build a prestigious reputation for its service during World
War I;
Whereas, by the end of World War I, the 2nd Infantry Division was 1 of only 4
divisions of the United States to remain in active duty, a strong
testament to the accomplishments of the 2nd Infantry Division;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division took--
(1) \1/4\ of all enemy prisoners captured by the American Expeditionary
Forces; and
(2) \1/4\ of the total number of guns and weapons seized during World
War I;
Whereas 14 members of the 2nd Infantry Division received the Congressional Medal
of Honor during World War I;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division--
(1) remained on occupation duty in Germany to enforce the Armistice
until April 1919; and
(2) came to the United States for the first time in July 1919, having
fought in every major United States engagement and emerged as the most
decorated United States Division of the American Expeditionary Forces;
Whereas, in recognition of exemplary service during World War I, the 2nd
Infantry Division was the recipient of--
(1) French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Streamer embroidered AISNE-MARNE;
(2) French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Streamer embroidered MEUSE-
ARGONNE; and
(3) French Fourragere;
Whereas the Headquarters, 2d Division was redesignated on August 1, 1942, as
Headquarters, 2nd Infantry Division;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division established the new home of the 2nd Infantry
Division in Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to test new concepts
and innovations for the Army;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division became the first command reorganized under the
new triangular concept, having 3 separate regiments in the division;
Whereas, in June 1944, the 2nd Infantry Division was called to action and made
the assault landing on Omaha Beach 1 day after D-Day, June 7, 1944,
which began the liberation of Europe from Nazi control;
Whereas, during World War II, the 2nd Infantry Division fought bravely in
France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia from 1944 to 1945;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division continued to provide invaluable service
throughout World War II, including--
(1) fighting for the liberation of France and Belgium;
(2) fighting for the liberation of Trevieres on June 10, 1944;
(3) assaulting and securing Hill 192;
(4) fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, where the 2nd Infantry
Division pierced the dreaded Siegfried Line and held critical roads leading
to the cities of Liege and Antwerp;
(5) capturing Tinchebray on August 15, 1944;
(6) capturing the vital port city of Brest, which was liberated in
September 1944 after a fierce 39-day battle in streets and alleyways;
(7) capturing the city of Breisig on March 9, 1945;
(8) crossing the Rhine to relieve the 9th Armored Division in Hadamar
and Limburg an der Lahn on March 21, 1945;
(9) capturing Merseburg on April 15, 1945;
(10) capturing Leipzig on April 18, 1945; and
(11) crossing into Czechoslovakia and attacking the city of Pilsen on
May 4, 1945;
Whereas 6 members of the 2nd Infantry Division received the Congressional Medal
of Honor for their gallant actions during World War II;
Whereas, in recognition of exemplary service during World War II, the 2nd
Infantry Division was --
(1) the recipient of the Belgian Fourragere World War II;
(2) cited in the ``Order of the Day'' of the Belgian Army for action at
Elsenborn Crest; and
(3) cited in the ``Order of the Day'' of the Belgian Army for action in
the Ardennes;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division returned home to Fort Lewis in Tacoma,
Washington, on April 15, 1946;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division arrived in South Korea via Pusan, on July 23,
1950, becoming the first United States unit to arrive directly in South
Korea from the United States;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division helped repel attackers on the Pusan Perimeter
during a 16-day attack beginning on the night of August 31, 1950, in a
battle in which 2nd Infantry Division clerks, bandsman, technical, and
supply personnel all joined the fight to repel the attackers;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division was the first unit that broke out of the Pusan
Perimeter and led the Eighth Army drive to the Manchurian Border;
Whereas, on November 26, 1950, with the intervention of the Chinese in the
Korean War, the 2nd Infantry Division was tasked with protecting the
rear and right flank of the Eighth Army;
Whereas fighting around Kunu-ri cost the 2nd Infantry Division nearly \1/3\ of
its strength, but was 10 times costlier to the enemy;
Whereas the 23rd Regimental Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and the French
Battalion were cut off and surrounded by 3 Chinese Divisions on February
13, 1951, at Chipyong-ni, but fiercely fought overwhelming Communist
forces in freezing weather conditions for more than 3 days, killing over
5,000 enemies while possessing about \1/10\ of the enemy's strength;
Whereas the 23rd Regimental Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division gave the first
major defeat to the Chinese at the battle of Chipyong-Ni, a turning
point in the Korean War;
Whereas 20 members of the 2nd Infantry Division earned the Congressional Medal
of Honor during the Korean War;
Whereas, in recognition of exemplary service during the Korean War, the 2nd
Infantry Division was the recipient of--
(1) the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
embroidered NAKTONG RIVER LINE;
(2) the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
embroidered KOREA; and
(3) the Presidential Unit Citation;
Whereas, after 4 years of fighting in South Korea, the 2nd Infantry Division was
transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington, on August 20, 1954;
Whereas, the 2nd Infantry Division was restructured with personnel and equipment
from the 10th Infantry Division in the spring of 1958, and moved to Fort
Benning, Georgia;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division was designated as a Strategic Army Corps Unit
in March 1962, and underwent intensified combat, tactical, and field
training to improve operational awareness;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division was the first to provide support for 3
brigades supported by armor, cavalry, and artillery under the
Reorganization Objective Army Division concept in January 1963;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division returned to South Korea on July 1, 1965 and
merged with the 1st Cavalry Division;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division was assigned to guard portions of the
demilitarized zone to keep the peace and help deter war on the Korean
peninsula;
Whereas members of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry
Division were killed in a North Korean ambush on November 2, 1966;
Whereas 16 members of the Armed Forces of the United States were killed by enemy
attacks in the demilitarized zone;
Whereas Captain Arthur G. Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark T. Barrett of the
United Nations Joint Security Force were attacked and killed during a
routine tree-trimming operation on August 18, 1976;
Whereas, in response, the United Nations Command launched Operation Paul Bunyan
at 0700 hours on August 21, 1976, when a Republic of Korea Special
Forces Company, the 9th Infantry Regiment, and B Company, 2nd Engineers
moved in to cut down the infamous Panmunjeom Tree while supported by B-
52 bombers and F-5 and F-11 fighter jets aboard a Midway Task Force
aircraft carrier standing by offshore;
Whereas members of the 2nd Infantry Division, proudly wearing ``Imjin Scout''
patches, patrolled the demilitarized zone throughout the 1980s and until
1992, and then remained deployed along the border;
Whereas the 3rd Brigade 2nd Infantry Division--
(1) was reactivated at Fort Lewis, Washington, on March 29, 1995, as
part of I Corps; and
(2) became the first Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the Army in May
2000;
Whereas, in the defense of the interests of the United States, the 3rd Stryker
Brigade Combat Team deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from
November 2003 to November 2004;
Whereas, in August 2004, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry
Division deployed with the Republic of Korea Army, representing the
first operational deployment from South Korea;
Whereas the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division was given
control of the Eastern half of Ar-Ramadi under the direct command of the
1st Marine Division;
Whereas the elements of the 2nd Infantry Division were attached to the 2nd
Marine Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a reversal of their
respective roles during World War I, where the 5th and 6th Marine
Regiment of the 1st Marine Division fought under the United States Army
2nd Infantry Division;
Whereas the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division fought in the
Fallujah Offensive in November 2004, which provided Iraqis the
opportunity to vote in the historic national elections of January 2005;
Whereas the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division provided
humanitarian relief to hospitals, schools, and hundreds of Iraqi
civilians who had been displaced;
Whereas the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division redeployed from
Iraq to Fort Carson, Colorado, in August 2005;
Whereas the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division
deployed from Fort Lewis, Washington, to assist the Iraqi security
forces with counterinsurgence operations in the Ninewa Province in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from June 2006 to September 2007;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division transformed into the ROK-US Combined Division
with a Republic of Korea Army unit on June 3, 2015, in a cooperative
designed to strengthen the operational capabilities of both the Republic
of Korea Army and the United States Army;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division is the last remaining permanently forward-
stationed division in the United States Army;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division has been deterring aggression and maintaining
peace on the Korean Peninsula since 1965;
Whereas the 2nd Infantry Division received 7 Korean Presidential Unit Citations
for its outstanding service in South Korea from 1950 to the present; and
Whereas, since the establishment of the 2nd Infantry Division in 1917--
(1) the 2nd Infantry Division has been present all over the world,
assisting in combat and noncombat missions for 100 years;
(2) more than 13,200 members of the 2nd Infantry Division have
sacrificed their lives in combat; and
(3) 40 members of the 2nd Infantry Division have received the
Congressional Medal of Honor in total: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates on October 27, 2017, the 100th anniversary
and a ``Century of Service'' of the 2nd Infantry Division;
(2) commends the 2nd Infantry Division, now known as the
``Warrior Division'', for continuing to exemplify the mottos of
the 2nd Infantry Division: ``Second to None!'' and ``Fight
Tonight!'';
(3) honors the memory of the more than 13,200 members of
the 2nd Infantry Division who lost their lives in battle;
(4) expresses gratitude and support for all 2nd Infantry
Division members, veterans, and families; and
(5) recognizes that the 2nd Infantry Division holds an
honored place in the history of the United States.
<all>