[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 41 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S2807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S2807]]
   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 85--HONORING AND CONGRATULATING THE 
 MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD, ON ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY, FOR ITS SPIRIT OF 
  DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND THE NATION AND 
 RECOGNIZING THAT THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL GUARD, THE NATION'S CITIZEN-
SOLDIER BASED MILITIA, WHICH WAS FORMED BEFORE THE UNITED STATES ARMY, 
 HAS BEEN AND STILL IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE SECURITY AND FREEDOM 
                             OF THE NATION

  Mr. COLEMAN (for himself and Mr. Dayton) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
Services:

                            S. Con. Res. 85

       Whereas the Minnesota National Guard traces its origins to 
     the formation of the Pioneer Guard in the Minnesota territory 
     in 1856, 2 years before Minnesota became the 32nd State in 
     the Union;
       Whereas the First Minnesota Infantry regiment was among the 
     first militia regiments in the Nation to respond to President 
     Lincoln's call for troops in April 1861 when it volunteered 
     for 3 years of service during the Civil War;
       Whereas during the Civil War the First Minnesota Infantry 
     regiment saw battle at Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg;
       Whereas during a critical moment in the Battle of 
     Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, 262 soldiers of the First 
     Minnesota Infantry, along with other Union forces, bravely 
     charged and stopped Confederate troops attacking the center 
     of the Union position on Cemetery Ridge;
       Whereas only 47 men answered the roll after this valiant 
     charge, earning the First Minnesota Infantry the highest 
     casualty rate of any unit in the Civil War;
       Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was the first to 
     volunteer for service in the Philippines and Cuba during the 
     Spanish-American War of 1898, with enough men to form 3 
     regiments;
       Whereas 1 of the 3 Minnesota regiments to report for duty 
     in the War with Spain, the 13th Volunteer regiment, under the 
     command of Major General Arthur MacArthur, saw among the 
     heaviest fighting of the war in the battle of Manila and 
     suffered more casualties than all other regiments combined 
     during that key confrontation to free the Philippines;
       Whereas after the cross-border raids of Pancho Villa and 
     the attempted instigation of a war between the United States 
     and Mexico, the border was secured in part by the Minnesota 
     National Guard;
       Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was mobilized for duty 
     in World War I, where many Minnesotans saw duty in France, 
     including the 151st Field Artillery, which saw duty as part 
     of the famed 42nd ``Rainbow'' Division;
       Whereas the first Air National Guard unit in the Nation was 
     the 109th Observation Squadron of the Minnesota National 
     Guard, which passed its muster inspection on January 17, 
     1921;
       Whereas a tank company of the Minnesota National Guard from 
     Brainerd, Minnesota, was shipped to the Philippines in 1941 
     to shore up American defenses against Japan as World War II 
     neared;
       Whereas these men from Brainerd fought hard and bravely as 
     American forces were pushed into the Bataan Peninsula and 
     ultimately endured the Bataan Death March;
       Whereas men of the Minnesota National Guard's 175th Field 
     Artillery, as part of the 34th ``Red Bull'' Division, became 
     the first American Division to be deployed to Europe in 
     January of 1942;
       Whereas when the 34th Division was shipped to North Africa, 
     it fired the first American shells against the Nazi forces;
       Whereas the 34th Division participated in 6 major Army 
     campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, which led to 
     the division being credited with taking the most enemy-
     defended hills of any division in the European Theater as 
     well as having more combat days than any other division in 
     Europe;
       Whereas the Minnesota National Guard served with 
     distinction on the ground and in the air during Operations 
     Desert Shield and Desert Storm;
       Whereas Minnesota National Guard troops have helped keep 
     the peace in the former Yugoslavia, including 1,100 troops 
     who have seen service in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo;
       Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has participated in 
     keeping America safe after September 11, 2001, in numerous 
     ways, including airport security;
       Whereas the Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing's F-16s flew 
     patrols over cities after September 11, 2001, for a longer 
     time than any other air defense unit;
       Whereas over 11,000 members of the Minnesota National Guard 
     have been called up for full-time service since the September 
     11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
       Whereas as of March 20, 2006, Minnesota National Guard 
     troops are serving in national defense missions in 
     Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq;
       Whereas more than 600 Minnesota National Guard troops have 
     been deployed to Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom;
       Whereas members of the Minnesota National Guard, serving in 
     the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division, 
     have been a part of the State's largest troop deployment 
     since World War II, with more than 2,600 citizen soldiers 
     called to service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom;
       Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has greatly 
     contributed not only to battles but to the suppressing of 
     violent riots, such as the 1947 national meat processors 
     strike, in which they aided helpless police officers, and the 
     fight against natural disasters such as the Red River flood 
     in 1997 in which they organized search and rescue missions, 
     helped shelter people who were left homeless, ran logistics, 
     and helped sandbagging efforts; and
       Whereas on April 17, 2006, the Minnesota National Guard 
     will celebrate its 150th anniversary along with its 
     historical and recent accomplishments: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) honors and congratulates the Minnesota National Guard 
     for its spirit of dedication and service to the State of 
     Minnesota and to the Nation on its 150th anniversary; and
       (2) recognizes that the role of the National Guard, the 
     Nation's citizen-soldier based militia, which was formed 
     before the United States Army, has been and still is 
     extremely important to the security and freedom of the 
     Nation.

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