[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 98 (Thursday, June 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3367-S3368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 228. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. Roberts))
proposed an amendment to the resolution S. Res. 115, commemorating the
100th anniversary of the 1st Infantry Division; as follows:
Strike the preamble and insert the following:
Whereas June 8, 2017, is the 100th anniversary of the
organization of the 1st Infantry Division;
Whereas the First Infantry Division was established in 1917
as the first permanent combined arms division in the Regular
Army and has been on continuous active duty since 1917;
Whereas, from the heroic start of the 1st Infantry
Division, the 1st Infantry Division has played an integral
part in United States history by serving in--
(1) World War I;
(2) World War II;
(3) the Cold War;
(4) the Vietnam War;
(5) Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm;
(6) the Balkans peacekeeping missions;
(7) the War on Terror; and
(8) as of May 2017, multiple operations around the globe;
Whereas, immediately after its establishment, the 1st
Division started to build a prestigious reputation for its
service in World War I;
Whereas, in May 1918, the victory of the 1st Division at
the Battle of Cantigny, France, was the first United States
victory of World War I, and despite suffering more than 1,000
casualties in that battle, the 1st Division seized the
village from German forces, defended the village against
repeated counterattacks, and bolstered the morale of the
Allies;
[[Page S3368]]
Whereas, after the Battle of Cantigny, the 1st Division
played a central role in other monumental battles of World
War I, such as--
(1) the Battle of Soissons;
(2) the Battle of Saint-Mihiel; and
(3) the Meuse-Argonne Offensive;
Whereas 5 soldiers of the 1st Division received the
Congressional Medal of Honor during World War I;
Whereas the 1st Division--
(1) remained on occupation duty in Germany to enforce the
Armistice; and
(2) in September 1919, was the last combat division to
return home after World War I;
Whereas, following World War I, the 1st Division was 1 of
only 3 United States Army divisions to remain on active duty,
which is a strong testament to its accomplishments;
Whereas, in November 1939, the 1st Infantry Division was
called to action again and, in August 1942, became 1 of the
first United States divisions sent to the European theater
during World War II;
Whereas, during World War II, the 1st Infantry Division
fought bravely in Algeria, Tunisia, and Sicily in 1942 and
1943 before the courage and resolve of the 1st Infantry
Division was tested on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France;
Whereas the 1st Infantry Division, reinforced by units of
the 29th Infantry Division, made the assault landing on Omaha
Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, which began the liberation of
Western Europe from Nazi control;
Whereas the 1st Infantry Division continued its invaluable
service throughout World War II, including in--
(1) the liberation of France and Belgium;
(2) the seizing of Aachen, the first city of Nazi Germany
to fall to the Allies;
(3) the Battle of the Huertgen Forest;
(4) the Battle of the Bulge, in which the 1st Infantry
Division held the critical northern shoulder at Butgenbach,
Belgium;
(5) the crossing of the Rhine River at Remagen;
(6) the battles around the Ruhr Pocket in Germany; and
(7) the offensive into Czechoslovakia, where the 1st
Infantry Division liberated Nazi labor camps at Falkenau and
Zwodau;
Whereas 17 members of the 1st Infantry Division received
the Congressional Medal of Honor for their service during
World War II;
Whereas, in recognition of exemplary service during World
War II, the 1st Infantry Division was the recipient of--
(1) 2 French Croix de Guerre with Palm, and Streamers
embroidered with ``Kasserine'' and ``Normandy'';
(2) the World War II French Fourragere;
(3) the Belgian Fourragere; and
(4) the subordinate units of the 1st Infantry Division
earned numerous Presidential Unit Citations;
Whereas the 1st Infantry Division guarded the Nuremburg
Trials and remained on occupation duty in Germany before
returning home to Fort Riley, Kansas, in 1955;
Whereas, in 1965, the 1st Infantry Division was 1 of the
first 2 divisions sent to the Vietnam War, and the 1st
Infantry Division remained in Vietnam for 5 years, during
which the 1st Infantry Division--
(1) protected the capital, Saigon, from attack by the North
Vietnamese Army;
(2) conducted hundreds of--
(A) offensive operations between Saigon and Cambodia
against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army units; and
(B) civil action and pacification operations to protect and
assist the Vietnamese people; and
(3) responded to the 1968 Tet Offensive by clearing Tan Son
Nhut Air Force Base of enemy forces, securing Saigon and
counterattacking vigorously;
Whereas 12 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division earned the
Congressional Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War;
Whereas, in recognition of exemplary service during the
Vietnam War--
(1) the 1st Infantry Division was the recipient of--
(A) the United States Army Meritorious Unit Commendation;
(B) the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm
for the period of 1965 to 1968; and
(C) the Republic of Vietnam civic Action Honor Medal, First
Class; and
(2) the subordinate units of the 1st Infantry Division
earned numerous Presidential unit citations and other Army
awards;
Whereas, from 1970 to 1990 the 1st Infantry Division--
(1) was a key component of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization deterrent strategy;
(2) maintained a forward-stationed brigade in Germany and
deployed additional elements annually to Germany on major
exercises that demonstrated United States resolve to friend
and foe alike; and
(3) contributed directly to the peaceful end of the Cold
War;
Whereas, in November 1990, the 1st Infantry Division
deployed to Saudi Arabia and played a key role in the famous
``left hook'' attack of the US VII Corps through the deserts
of western Iraq to destroy the Tawakalna Division of the
vaunted Republican Guard of Saddam Hussein, among many other
enemy forces;
Whereas the 1st Infantry Division deployed to Bosnia for 31
months between 1996 and 2000, to Macedonia for 4 months in
1999, and to Kosovo for 22 months between 1999 and 2003--
(1) to enforce international peace agreements;
(2) to halt the worst ethnic violence in Europe since the
Holocaust; and
(3) to bring peace and stability to the Balkans;
Whereas, in 2004, the 1st Infantry Division deployed to
Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom as Task Force Danger and
conducted sophisticated counterinsurgency operations that led
to the first free and fair elections in Iraqi history in
2005;
Whereas, between 2005 and 2014, the brigade combat teams
and other major headquarters and units of the 1st Infantry
Division have deployed repeatedly to Iraq and Afghanistan in
Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and
Operation New Dawn;
Whereas Specialist Ross A. McGinnis, a 1st Infantry
Division soldier, is 1 of the very few people of the United
States to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor in the War
on Terror;
Whereas, in the defense of United States interests, the 1st
Infantry Division deployed its units and soldiers to Africa
in 2015 and Kuwait in 2016;
Whereas, since November 2016, the headquarters of the 1st
Infantry Division has been in Iraq, where the 1st Infantry
Division is--
(1) engaged in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq
and Syria (ISIS); and
(2) providing the leadership structure for the Combined
Joint Forces Land Component Command-Operation Inherent
Resolve;
Whereas, as of May 2017--
(1) the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, is
deployed to Afghanistan and is conducting combat aviation
operations in support of the Afghan and international
security forces battling the Taliban;
(2) the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, is
deployed to South Korea, where it bolsters United States
deterrence against North Korea; and
(3) the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, is
at Fort Riley, Kansas, where it is honing its combat-
readiness in preparation for deployment; and
Whereas, since the establishment of the 1st Infantry
Division in 1917--
(1) the 1st Infantry Division has been present all over the
world, assisting in combat and noncombat missions for 100
years;
(2) more than 13,000 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division
have sacrificed their lives in combat; and
(3) 35 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division have received
the Medal of Honor: Now, therefore, be it
______