[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18349-18350]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1520
        HONORING FORT DRUM'S SOLDIERS OF 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1217) honoring Fort Drum's soldiers of the 10th 
Mountain Division for their past and continuing contributions to the 
security of the United States, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1217

       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division was first activated as 
     the 10th Light Division on July 15, 1943, at Camp Hale, 
     Colorado;
       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division began a rigorous 
     training regimen designed to prepare for the imminent 
     invasion of Axis-controlled Europe;
       Whereas, on January 7, 1944, the 10th Mountain Division 
     patch was authorized, featuring a blue background with two 
     red-crossed bayonets forming the Roman numeral for 10, 
     emblazoned over a powder keg representing the Division's 
     explosive power;
       Whereas, in November 1944, the 10th Light Division was 
     redesignated the 10th Mountain Division and soldiers were 
     first authorized to wear the blue and white ``Mountain'' tab;
       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division first entered combat on 
     January 1945, being deployed to the North Apennine Mountains 
     in Italy opposite battle-hardened German mountain troops;
       Whereas soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division assaulted 
     the German lines along the Monte Belvedere-Monte della 
     Torraccia Ridge in a series of stunning attacks that broke 
     the German Apennine front;
       Whereas, on April 14, 1945, the 10th Mountain Division 
     served as the vanguard of the Fifth Army's drive to the Po 
     Valley, suffering tremendous casualties in a hail of 
     artillery, mortar, and small arms fire from German troops;
       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division continued its relentless 
     drive to liberate Italy, culminating in the Division's 
     occupation of Lake Garda and preventing the escape of German 
     troops to the north through the Brenner Pass;
       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division saw one of its soldiers, 
     Private First Class John D. Magrath posthumously awarded the 
     Medal of Honor;
       Whereas, on November 30, 1945, the 10th Mountain Division 
     was temporarily inactivated;
       Whereas, on July 1, 1948, the 10th Mountain Division was 
     reactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas, as a training division, 
     preparing 123,000 soldiers for Cold War service and combat in 
     the Korean Peninsula;
       Whereas, between 1955 and 1958, the 10th Mountain Division 
     was redesignated a combat infantry division and deployed to 
     West Germany, protecting strategic North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) points against possible Soviet 
     aggression;
       Whereas, on June 14, 1958, the 10th Mountain Division was 
     again temporarily inactivated;
       Whereas, on February 13, 1985, the 10th Mountain Division 
     (Light Infantry) was activated in the heart of the North 
     Country on Fort Drum, New York;
       Whereas, during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 
     10th Mountain Division soldiers contributed support personnel 
     to the 24th Infantry Division in Iraq;
       Whereas, in December 1992, 10th Mountain Division soldiers 
     deployed to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope, 
     bringing much-needed security to relief operations;
       Whereas, on May 4, 1993, 10th Mountain Division soldiers 
     began supporting Operation Continue Hope under the direction 
     of the United Nations Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM II);
       Whereas, on October 3, 1993, and October 4, 1993, 10th 
     Mountain Division soldiers of 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry 
     fought a brutal gun battle through Mogadishu to secure an 
     evacuation route for Rangers surrounded in the city;
       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division spearheaded Operation 
     Uphold Democracy in Haiti from September 19, 1994, to January 
     15, 1995, conducting the United States Army's first carrier-
     based air assault;
       Whereas, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the 
     United States, units of the 10th Mountain Division first 
     deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in late 
     2001, fighting to secure remote elements of Afghanistan 
     against Taliban forces;
       Whereas, in 2003, the 10th Mountain Division headquarters 
     and 1st Brigade returned to Afghanistan to battle insurgents 
     in remote areas of the country and provide humanitarian 
     assistance;
       Whereas, from May to December 2003, the 2d Brigade, 10th 
     Mountain Division headquarters, and 4th Battalion, 31st 
     Infantry deployed to Afghanistan in support of Task Force 
     Phoenix and training for the Afghan National Army;
       Whereas, in July 2004, the 2d Brigade, 10th Mountain 
     Division, deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi 
     Freedom, securing the areas west of Baghdad and enduring more 
     enemy contacts and casualties than any other unit in Iraq at 
     the time;
       Whereas the 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in 
     late 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, bringing 
     security to embattled areas in and around Baghdad;
       Whereas the 2d Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in 
     August of 2006, moving in to an area referred to as the 
     ``Triangle of Death'', vastly improving security and enduring 
     a grueling 15-month deployment;
       Whereas the 10th Mountain Division headquarters and 3d 
     Brigade Combat Team deployed again to Afghanistan in 2006, 
     serving in the eastern Afghanistan-Pakistan border region;
       Whereas the 1st Brigade Combat Team returned to Iraq in 
     2007, conducting stability and security operations in Kirkuk 
     and training the Sons of Iraq to protect their neighborhoods 
     from insurgent violence;
       Whereas, in April 2008, the 10th Mountain Division 
     headquarters and 4th Brigade Combat Team deployed to Baghdad, 
     coordinating and fighting large-scale operations such as 
     Operation Phantom Phoenix;
       Whereas, in January 2009, the 3d Brigade Combat Team 
     deployed to the Logar and Wardak provinces in Afghanistan, 
     guarding

[[Page 18350]]

     the southern approaches to Kabul and bringing much-needed 
     security to both provinces; and
       Whereas the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division continue 
     to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, with their families 
     supporting them through arduous deployments: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the achievements of the soldiers serving in 
     the 10th Mountain Division, as well as citizen-soldiers of 
     the Army Reserve and National Guard who have fought with the 
     10th Mountain Division during its 60-year history;
       (2) expresses its gratitude to the family members of the 
     10th Mountain Division for their tireless service and 
     sacrifice on behalf of the United States;
       (3) commends the North Country community for their 
     unwavering support of Fort Drum and the men and women serving 
     in uniform; and
       (4) offers its heartfelt condolences to the family and 
     friends of the 10th Mountain Division soldiers who have given 
     the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Owens) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. OWENS. 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 New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The United States Army's 10th Mountain Division, stationed on Fort 
Drum, New York, has a long and storied history of defending the 
American way of life.
  The 10th Mountain Division was first activated as the 10th Light 
Division on July 13, 1943, at Camp Hale, Colorado. From there, the 
brave soldiers who made up the 10th Mountain Division's first unit 
immediately began a rigorous training regimen designed to prepare for 
the imminent invasion of Axis-controlled Europe. They first entered 
combat in January of 1945 as they were deployed to the North Apennine 
Mountains in Italy, opposite battle-hardened German troops, which 
marked the beginning of a relentless drive to liberate Italy from the 
clutches of the enemy.
  As the nature of warfare has changed throughout the decades, the 10th 
Mountain Division has adapted to defend the Nation against foreign 
threats. From its work as a training division preparing soldiers for 
Cold War service to deployments in West Germany, Somalia, Mogadishu, 
and Haiti, and the current war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 
10th Mountain Division has served to maintain both national and global 
stability.
  On February 13, 1985, the 10th Mountain Division was activated in the 
heart of the North Country at Fort Drum. Following the September 11 
attacks, units of the 10th Mountain Division were deployed in support 
of Operation Enduring Freedom. Since then, the unit has played a role 
in major offenses throughout the war on terror that have brought 
stability to embattled areas in the Middle East. For more than 65 
years, the brave men and women and their families who make up the 10th 
Mountain Division have endured untold sacrifices to make the Nation 
safer and more secure.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to recognize the achievements of the 
soldiers serving in the 10th Mountain Division, as well as citizen 
soldiers of the Army Reserve and National Guard who have fought with 
the 10th Mountain Division during its 60-year history. I would like to 
thank the family members of the 10th Mountain Division for their 
tireless service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States, and I 
commend the North Country community for their unwavering support of 
Fort Drum and the men and women serving in uniform.
  Finally, I speak for the House of Representatives when I offer my 
condolences to the family and friends of the 10th Mountain Division 
soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of 
freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1217, as amended, 
which honors the Fort Drum soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division for 
their contribution to the security of the United States. I am honored 
to pay tribute to the current and former members of the 10th Mountain 
Division who have stood steadfastly and courageously defended and 
served this great country on our shores and in distant lands.
  First activated in Colorado in 1943 during the early stages of World 
War II, the division known as the 10th Light Division prepared to join 
the fight against the Axis in Europe. When it finally entered combat in 
1945, the division broke through battle-hardened German mountain troops 
in the Italian North Apennine Mountains. Victory was won in hard-fought 
battles in places like Po Valley, where the division suffered 
tremendous casualties. It was during the campaign in Italy that the 
division's own Private First Class John D. Magrath was posthumously 
awarded the Medal of Honor.
  Following World War II, the 10th Mountain Division trained soldiers 
at Fort Riley, Kansas, and was deployed to West Germany to protect 
NATO. In 1985, the division began its long and storied relationship 
with the people of the North Country when it was located on Fort Drum, 
New York. Since then, the 10th Mountain Division has participated in 
Operation Desert Storm, Operation Continue Hope in Somalia, where it 
fought through the streets of Mogadishu to assist Rangers who were 
surrounded in the city, and Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti.
  In late 2001, following the September 11 attacks, the division 
deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to oust the Taliban 
in Afghanistan. Subsequently, the division returned to Afghanistan in 
2003, 2006, and 2009. At the same time, the 10th Mountain Division has 
played a vital role in the successes of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 
deploying to Iraq for sometimes up to 15 months in 2004, 2005, 2007, 
and 2009. Today, these incredible soldiers continue to serve in Iraq 
and Afghanistan.
  Sadly, the valiant service of the 10th Mountain Division has not been 
without enormous sacrifice. Throughout its history, members of the 
division have paid the ultimate price to ensure our freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not also pay tribute to the 
incredible families of these brave soldiers who waited at home while 
their loved ones answered our Nation's call. The entire Nation owes the 
soldiers and veterans of the 10th Mountain Division a debt of 
gratitude. To each and every one of them I say, ``Climb to glory.'' We 
are proud of their service. And, therefore, Mr. Speaker, I strongly 
urge all Members to support this resolution.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1217, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  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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