[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1217 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 24, 2010
Mr. Owens submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring Fort Drum's soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division for their
past and continuing contributions to the security of the United States.
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division was first activated as the 10th Light
Division (Alpine) on July 13, 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 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, after 114 days of combat, the 10th Mountain Division destroyed 5 German
divisions, suffered 992 casualities and 4,154 wounded, and saw one of
its soldiers, Private First Class John D. Magrath posthumously awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor;
Whereas, on November 30, 1945, the 10th Mountain Division was temporarily
disbanded;
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 1954 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 the 2-14th Infantry fought a brutal gun battle through
Mogadishu to secure an evacuation route for Rangers surrounded in the
city;
Whereas, with 6 hours of continuous fighting, this was the longest sustained
combat since the end of the Vietnam War;
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 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division
headquarters, and 4-31 Infantry deployed to Afghanistan in support of
Task Force Phoenix and training for the Afghan National Army;
Whereas, in July 2004, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team 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 2nd 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 3rd 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 3rd Brigade Combat Team deployed to the Logar and
Wardak provinces in Afghanistan, guarding the southern approaches to
Kabul and bringing much-needed security to both provinces;
Whereas the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division continue to serve in Iraq and
Afghanistan, with their families supporting them through arduous
deployments; and
Whereas the 10th Mountain Division is known as the most deployed division in the
United States Army: 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.
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