[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 308 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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.
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