III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 308 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 2nd Infantry Division. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 26, 2017 

Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CRUZ, and Mrs. MURRAY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Armed Services 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 2nd Infantry 

Division. 

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— 


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(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) Iˆle-de-France; and 

(B) Lorraine; 

(5) the Battle of Saint-Mihiel; 

(6) the Battle of the Aisne; and 

(7) the Aisne-Marne Offensive; 


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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 Fourrage`re; 


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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 Tre ́vie`res 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 Lie`ge 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; 


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(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 Fourrage`re 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; 


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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; 


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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 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 treetrimming operation on August 18, 1976; 


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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 ArRamadi 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 


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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; 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commemorates on October 27, 2017, the 

3 100th anniversary and a ‘‘Century of Service’’ of the 

4 2nd Infantry Division; 

5 (2) commends the 2nd Infantry Division, now 

6 known as the ‘‘Warrior Division’’, for continuing to 

7 exemplify the mottos of the 2nd Infantry Division: 

8 ‘‘Second to None!’’ and ‘‘Fight Tonight!’’; 

9 (3) honors the memory of the more than 13,200 

10 members of the 2nd Infantry Division who lost their 

11 lives in battle; 

12 (4) expresses gratitude and support for all 2nd 

13 Infantry Division members, veterans, and families; 

14 and 


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1 (5) recognizes that the 2nd Infantry Division 

2 holds an honored place in the history of the United 

3 States. 

Æ 


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