[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 173 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6856-S6857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 308--COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2ND 
                           INFANTRY DIVISION

  Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Cruz, and Mrs. Murray) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Armed Services:

                              S. Res. 308

       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--
          (A) Ile-de-France;
          (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

[[Page S6857]]

     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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