[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 809--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 30, 2022, AS ``MISSISSIPPI 
                    NATIONAL GUARD RECOGNITION DAY''

  Mr. WICKER (for himself and Mrs. Hyde-Smith) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 809

       Whereas, since its inception in 1798, the Mississippi 
     National Guard has served the Magnolia State and the United 
     States;
       Whereas the Mississippi National Guard has responded to 
     national and State emergencies;
       Whereas, on September 30, 1962, anticipating violence as a 
     result of the admission of James Meredith, the first Black 
     student in the history of the University of Mississippi, 
     President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. 
     McNamara activated the entire Mississippi National Guard to 
     provide riot control during the desegregation of the 
     University of Mississippi;
       Whereas Major General William P. Wilson immediately ordered 
     14,400 officers and enlisted men of the Mississippi National 
     Guard to report to their armories and await orders from their 
     Commander, Brigadier General Charles Billingslea;
       Whereas 2 battle groups and 1 armored cavalry regiment, 
     comprised of 3,086 men, reported to Oxford, Mississippi, on 
     September 30, 1962, under the command of General Billingslea;
       Whereas the 1st Battle Group, 155th Infantry Regiment, 
     headquartered in Laurel, Mississippi, and commanded by 
     Colonel Marion D. Odell, was comprised of Guardsmen from 
     Brookhaven, Tylertown, Natchez, Meadville, McComb, Magnolia, 
     and Gloster, Mississippi;
       Whereas the 2d Battle Group, 155th Infantry Regiment, 
     headquartered in Amory, Mississippi, and commanded by Colonel 
     Robert L. Gray, was comprised of Guardsmen from Corinth, 
     Kosciusko, Louisville, Iuka, Aberdeen, and Starkville, 
     Mississippi;
       Whereas the 108th Armored Cavalry Regiment, headquartered 
     in Tupelo, Mississippi, and commanded by Colonel James G. 
     Martin, was comprised of Guardsmen from Belmont, Booneville, 
     Fulton, Okolona, Baldwyn, Nettleton, Ripley, Oxford, New 
     Albany, Pontotoc, Holly Springs, Water Valley, Senatobia, 
     Marks, Sardis, Batesville, Hernando, and Tunica, Mississippi;
       Whereas, on the night of September 30, 1962, a violent mob, 
     including some individuals from out of State, formed on the 
     campus of the University of Mississippi, forcing reporters 
     and United States Marshals to shelter inside the Lyceum 
     building on the campus of the University of Mississippi;
       Whereas that same mob attacked General Billingslea, his 
     deputy, General John Corley, and his aide, Captain Harold 
     Lyon, while they were in their car, setting it ablaze and 
     forcing the 3 men to escape by crawling 200 yards to the 
     Lyceum building, all while under gunfire;
       Whereas, at 10 o'clock in the evening of September 30, 
     1962, Troop G of Pontotoc, Mississippi, and Howitzer Battery 
     2nd Reconnaissance Squadron of Water Valley, Mississippi, 
     108th Armored Cavalry, were ordered to move immediately to 
     the campus of the University of Mississippi to quell the 
     rioters surrounding the Lyceum building;
       Whereas, at approximately 3 o'clock in the morning of 
     October 1, 1962, the 1st and 3rd Reconnaissance Squadrons, 
     108th Armored Cavalry, were ordered to the Lyceum building to 
     clear the campus of rioters;
       Whereas, by the morning of October 1, 1962, the rioters on 
     the campus of the University of Mississippi had been subdued, 
     but not before resulting in the death of Ray Gunter and Paul 
     Guihard;
       Whereas, because of the courage displayed by the members of 
     the 155th Infantry Regiment and the 108th Armored Cavalry 
     Regiment of the Mississippi National Guard, active-duty 
     members of the Armed Forces, and law enforcement officers on 
     that autumn day in Oxford, order was restored at the 
     University of Mississippi;
       Whereas, 60 years later, the Mississippi National Guard 
     continues to provide protection of life and property, and 
     upholds the preservation of peace, order, and public safety, 
     for the citizens of Mississippi; and
       Whereas thousands of students of all races, creeds, 
     backgrounds, and beliefs today receive world-class education 
     at the University of Mississippi because of the courage, 
     discipline, and professionalism of the members of the 155th 
     Infantry Regiment and the 108th Armored Cavalry Regiment of 
     the Mississippi National Guard: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 30, 2022, as ``Mississippi 
     National Guard Recognition Day''; and
       (2) recognizes the heroic efforts of the Mississippi 
     National Guard 60 years ago to maintain peace in Oxford, 
     Mississippi, during the largest deployment of troops to a 
     single disturbance in the history of the Mississippi National 
     Guard.

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