III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 745 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement, the 100th 

anniversary of the return of the Unknown Soldier, and the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 2, 2019 

Mr. COTTON submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armistice 

Agreement, the 100th anniversary of the return of the 

Unknown Soldier, and the 100th anniversary of the 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

Whereas, on April 2, 1917, President Thomas Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to convene an extraordinary session 

to officially declare war on the Imperial German Government; 

Whereas, on April 4, 1917, the Senate passed a joint resolution that declared a formal state of war between the 

United States and the Imperial German Government; 

Whereas, on April 6, 1917, the House of Representatives 

adopted the same joint resolution that the Senate had 


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passed, thereby marking the official entry of the United 

States into World War I; 

Whereas more than four million American men and women 

served in uniform during World War I; 

Whereas 116,516 Americans died from combat and disease 

and another 200,000 were wounded; 

Whereas the Armistice Agreement to end World War I was 

signed in Paris, France, on November 11, 1918, at 11 

a.m.; 

Whereas, on February 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial 

of an unidentified American soldier from World War I in 

the plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington 

National Cemetery; 

Whereas, on Memorial Day 1921, four unknown soldiers were 

exhumed from four World War I American cemeteries in 

France and United States Army Sergeant Edward F. 

Younger, who was wounded in combat, highly decorated 

for valor, and received the Distinguished Service Medal 

in ‘‘The Great War, the war to end all wars’’, selected 

the Unknown Soldier of World War I from four identical 

caskets at the city hall in Chalons-sur-Marne, France, on 

October 24, 1921, by placing a spray of white roses on 

the third casket from the left; 

Whereas, on October 25, 1921, the casket bearing the unknown soldier was placed on the USS Olympia for transport back to the United States and the French Minister 

of Pensions presented the Ordre National de la Le ́gion 

d’Honneur, that country’s highest military award, to the 

Unknown Soldier; 

Whereas the USS Olympia reached the mouth of the Potomac on November 7, 1921, and on November 9, 1921, 


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joined by the USS North Dakota (BB–29) and the USS 

Bernadou (DD–153), she stood up the channel to the 

Nation’s Capital, exchanging salutes from Fort Washington and Mount Vernon during her passage; 

Whereas the USS Olympia moored at the Washington Navy 

Yard on November 9, 1921, and was welcomed by District of Columbia Brigadier General Harry H. Bandholtz, 

USA, who commanded the Military District of Washington, and who led a welcoming entourage that included 

Secretary of War John W. Weeks, Secretary of the Navy 

Edwin Denby, General of the Armies John J. Pershing, 

USA, Admiral Robert E. Coontz, CNO, and Major General John A. Lejeune, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps; 

Whereas the USS Olympia fired a 21-gun salute, buglers on 

board sounded attention, and the boatswain piped the 

Unknown Soldier over the side, the ship’s band playing 

the ‘‘Funeral March’’, followed by the national anthem; 

Whereas the 3rd Cavalry Regiment’s band played ‘‘Onward 

Christian Soldiers’’ as the procession, escorted by cavalry 

troopers, made its way toward the United States Capitol 

and additional ceremonies, culminating in interring the 

Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 1921; and 

Whereas, since 1948, soldiers from the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment headquartered at Fort Myer, Virginia, 

have stood guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the 100th anniversary of the 

3 signing of the Armistice Treaty; 


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1 (2) expresses gratitude and appreciation to the 

2 members of the Armed Forces who participated in 

3 World War I operations; 

4 (3) honors the memory of the fallen heroes who 

5 wore the uniforms of the Armed Forces during 

6 World War I; 

7 (4) commends the crew of the USS Olympia for 

8 their role in transporting the unknown soldier home 

9 to the United States; and 

10 (5) commends the soldiers from the 3rd United 

11 States Infantry Regiment for standing guard at the 

12 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every day for 70 

13 years, regardless of weather conditions be they rain, 

14 sleet, or snow. 

Æ 


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