[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 154 (Tuesday, November 30, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7696-H7698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING NATIONAL GUARD ON 374TH ANNIVERSARY
Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1740) recognizing and honoring the National
Guard on the occasion of its 374th anniversary.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1740
Whereas the National Guard celebrates its 374th birthday on
December 13, 2010;
Whereas the National Guard and its citizen-soldiers have
participated in all major American conflicts, most recently
Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and
Operation New Dawn;
Whereas the National Guard is the oldest component of the
United States Armed Forces;
Whereas the National Guard has served with distinction as
America's first line of defense against natural and man-made
disasters within the United States;
Whereas Colonial and State militias were the precursors to
the National Guard;
Whereas the militia stood their ground during the opening
shots of the Revolutionary War at Lexington Green and Concord
Bridge in 1775;
Whereas more than 164,000 members of the militia from the
13 colonies served under the command of George Washington
during the Revolutionary War;
Whereas in 1824, the 2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment, New York
Artillery became the first military organization in the
United States to adopt the title ``National Guard'';
Whereas during the Mexican War of 1846-1848, more than 70
percent of the total manpower effort was from citizen-
soldiers through volunteer militiamen;
Whereas the Union and Confederate Armies relied heavily on
militias and volunteer regiments during the Civil War of
1861-1865;
Whereas on April 15, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln
invoked the Calling Forth Act of 1792 and ordered 75,000
militiamen into Federal service for 90 days;
Whereas during the Spanish-American War in 1898, over
160,000 National Guardsmen volunteered for active duty;
Whereas a group of National Guardsmen from Arizona, New
Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas were called the ``Rough Riders''
and were led by Lieutenant Colonel and future United States
President Theodore ``Teddy'' Roosevelt;
Whereas in 1902, Major General Charles W. Dick, commander
of the Ohio Division of the National Guard and a member of
the United States House of Representatives, became president
of the National Guard Association;
Whereas the Militia Act of 1903 created the modern National
Guard and affirmed the National Guard as the primary
organized combat reserve force of the Armed Forces;
Whereas in World War I, the National Guard made up 40
percent of the United States combat divisions;
Whereas the National Defense Act of 1920 established the
Army of the United States, to consist of the Regular Army,
the Organized Reserve Corps, and the National Guard, when
called into Federal service;
Whereas an amendment to the National Defense Act enacted on
June 15, 1933, established the National Guard of the United
States as a reserve component of the Army;
Whereas the National Security Act of 1947 established the
Air National Guard as a reserve component of the Air Force;
Whereas more than 300,000 members of the National Guard,
including 18 infantry divisions, participated in World War
II;
Whereas more than 138,000 members of the Army National
Guard and more than 45,000 members of the Air National Guard
were called to active duty during the Korean War;
Whereas almost 23,000 members of the Army and Air National
Guard were mobilized for two years of active duty during the
Vietnam War;
Whereas more than 70,000 members of the Army and Air
National Guard were called upon to participate in Operation
Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991;
Whereas since the attacks on September 11, 2001, hundreds
of thousands of members of the Army and Air National Guard
have been called upon by their States and the Federal
Government to provide security at home and combat terrorism
abroad; and
Whereas more than 50,000 members of the Army and Air
National Guard were deployed in the Gulf States following
Hurricane Katrina in 2005: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) thanks the members of the National Guard for their
service in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, and
their continuing role in homeland security and military
operations;
(2) supports providing the National Guard with the
necessary resources to ensure its readiness;
(3) expresses its condolences and gratitude to the families
of those members of the National Guard who have lost their
lives through their dedication and commitment to the freedom
and security of the United States while serving in the
National Guard; and
(4) honors and supports the compassionate, courageous, and
dedicated members of the National Guard who serve a critical
role in protecting the United States and its citizens'
freedoms and treasured liberties.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Garamendi) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
{time} 1510
Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of House Resolution 1740 introduced by our
colleague from Ohio (Mr. Latta) which recognizes the 374th birthday of
the Nation's military first responder, our National Guard. I looked at
that, too, and I said, ``374? How could that be?''
Well, on December 13, 2010, we will celebrate the enormous
contributions that our Nation's citizen soldiers and airmen have
contributed to our national defense for over 300 years. Our forefathers
relied on its citizen soldiers to protect this young Nation. Today we
continue to rely on our citizen soldiers to protect the values and
inalienable rights that Americans enjoy today.
Our men and women in the National Guard not only volunteer to serve
overseas in our national defense, they are also an integral part of our
local communities, providing assistance, support, and protection to
their neighbors and loved ones in cases of natural and manmade
disasters within the United States.
The history of the National Guard began back during the very earliest
days of our Nation. The colonists adopted the English militia system
which required all males between the ages of 16 and 60 to bear arms and
contribute to the defense of their communities. In those early days,
the militia provided the first line of defense in our Nation and it
continues to do so to this very day.
Throughout our Nation's conflicts, the National Guard has been an
integral part of our country's national defense. During World War I,
the National Guard made up 40 percent of America's combat divisions.
The National Defense Act of 1933 established the National Guard as a
reserve component of the Army. And in 1947 the National Security Act
established the air
[[Page H7697]]
component of the National Guard as a reserve component of the Air
Force.
More than 300,000 members of the National Guard participated in World
War II. And over 180,000 members of the National Guard participated in
the Korean War, and nearly 23,000 deployed in support of the Vietnam
War. More than 50,000 members of the National Guard were deployed in
the Gulf States in support of Hurricane Katrina. Today, almost a
quarter of a million members of the National Guard have mobilized in
support of Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation
Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn.
Today we are here to express our appreciation to those who served in
the National Guard and their families, who are also making a
contribution in defense of this Nation. We are here to express our
gratitude and respect for those in the National Guard who have given
their lives in defense of our Nation. Our sympathy and prayers are with
their families and loved ones. Their sacrifice is noted and will not be
forgotten.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1740
and join us as we wish America's National Guard a happy 374th birthday.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the sponsor of this legislation, my friend and colleague
from Ohio (Mr. Latta).
Mr. LATTA. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my House Resolution 1740, a
resolution honoring the National Guard on their 374th anniversary. And
as the gentleman alluded to, 374 years long predates this Nation.
The National Guard origins date to December 13, 1636, when the
General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered existing militias
to be organized into three regiments. Since then, the National Guard
has fought in every major war and conflict. From the ``shot heard round
the world'' on April 19, 1775, on Lexington Green and later that day
that running battle that occurred at Concord Bridge, to the men and
women who have stood strong and fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the
National Guard and its citizen soldiers have been there for us no
matter what, always ready, always there.
Going back to that day on April 19, 1775, it was one of these days
that we have to remember, it was April 18, 1775, that Paul Revere and
two others left Boston to alert the countryside not that the Red Coats
were out but that the regulars were out. As Revere Road became known
later as Battle Road from Boston across to Lexington and Concord, he
was alerting the countryside, and the countryside was alarmed and the
people awoke. And those were the early National Guard or the militia
that responded.
They were the ones that stood up on April 19, 1775, on Lexington
Green to the command to stand down from the British. No one knows who
fired that fateful first shot, but that was the beginning of the
Revolutionary War. And it was the militia--now our National Guard--that
was there for us and is still there for us today.
The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces in the
United States. The National Guard's number one priority is the security
and defense of our homeland at home and abroad. Americans have relied
on their National Guard for more than three and a half centuries, long
before the establishment of these United States.
I want to thank all past and present members of the National Guard
for their service in response to the attacks on our homeland on
September 11, 2001, and their continuing role in homeland security and
military operations.
In today's world, it is essential that we honor and support all of
our servicemembers who have sacrificed so much to ensure our freedoms
and liberties that we cherish so dearly in these United States. We need
to support and provide our men and women in the National Guard and all
of the Armed Forces with enough resources to ensure their readiness and
success.
As the National Guard's official song goes, ``Defending Freedom,
protecting dreams, this is the spirit of what it means to me. For my
God and my home that I love: I Guard America, Guarding America,
America.''
I urge passage of the resolution.
Mr. GARAMENDI. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1740, which recognizes
the service and sacrifices of the members of the Army and Air National
Guard on the occasion of the 374th anniversary of the National Guard. I
want to commend Representative Robert Latta of Ohio for sponsoring this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, America is such a dynamic, forward moving, ever changing
Nation that few institutions can survive for long unless they
repeatedly prove their worth and are capable of changing to meet new
challenges.
For more than 300 years, the National Guard has repeatedly
demonstrated its worth and value to this Nation in the crises of peace
and war. The courage and commitment and sacrifices of National Guard
members have been an integral part of every war this Nation has fought.
These citizen soldiers most recently have accepted an entirely new
role in our national security and enthusiastically transformed
themselves and their units from a ready reserve to an operational
reserve where repeated deployments to combat have become the norm, not
the exception.
While providing significant combat power to support ongoing wars, the
Guard has remained true to its mission to support the individual States
in times of natural disasters. With this dual requirement to support
not only the Nation but also the people of the States from which they
come, the National Guard is indispensable to the well-being, safety,
and security of all Americans.
This is why it is therefore right and proper that we recognize the
National Guard for 374 years of outstanding service, and I urge all
Members to support this resolution.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GARAMENDI. I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio for offering
this resolution.
I think every Member on this floor understands the critical
importance of the National Guard in their own communities and in their
State, and it's certainly appropriate that we recognize the 374th
birthday of the National Guard. You had me on that one. I didn't know
it was 374 until this moment. But I do know the history of my own State
of California and the critical importance of the National Guard not
only in all of the traumas that occur in my State, but also overseas
and the wars.
Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of
this Resolution honoring our National Guard on the occasion of its
374th anniversary.
The National Guard was formed on December 13, 1636 and has fought in
every major American conflict since that time.
Today's National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are an operational reserve
that has served our country admirably in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around
the world.
In fact, as we honor the National Guard today, almost 3,000 Iowa
National Guard Soldiers are deploying to Afghanistan--the largest
deployment for our state since World War II.
They have stood up an Agricultural Development Team which is helping
to move the Afghan economy away from poppy production and they will
help train the Afghan National Security Forces so that the Afghan
people can provide for their own security.
Indeed, today's National Guard is deploying in unprecedented numbers,
and our National Guard families are coping with multiple deployments.
And they are doing so while continuing to carry out their homeland
security mission here at home--protecting our country's airspace and
our communities from disasters such as the flooding that hit Iowa in
2008.
So, as we honor the men and women of the National Guard today, let us
thank our Citizen Soldiers, Airmen, and their families for their
service to our Nation.
And, during this holiday season, let us remember all of our sons and
daughters who are defending our freedom overseas.
Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1740.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the
ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a
quorum is not present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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