IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 128 

Honoring the service and sacrifice of members of the United States Armed 

Forces on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the start of Operation 

Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 19, 2013 

Mr. HUNTER (for himself, Mr. TURNER, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. 

KINZINGER of Illinois, Mr. PETERS of California, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. 

GRIMM, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. GIBSON, Mrs. HARTZLER, 

Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. COFFMAN, Mr. 

GALLEGO, Mr. WITTMAN, and Mr. STIVERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the service and sacrifice of members of the United 

States Armed Forces on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom and 

Operation New Dawn. 

Whereas in Public Law 107–243 (H.J. Res 114 of the 107th 

Congress), the House of Representatives and the Senate 

authorized the President to use the United States Armed 

Forces as the President determined to be necessary and 

appropriate against Iraq; 

Whereas, on March 19, 2003, the United States Armed 

Forces began military operations in Iraq, with the objecVerDate Mar 14 2013 01:00 Mar 20, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR128.IH HR128

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•HRES 128 IH 

tive of disarming and removing Saddam Hussein and his 

regime; 

Whereas, on April 9, 2003, with the removal of a statue of 

Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square in Baghdad by members of the United States Armed Forces and Iraqi civilians, the United States Armed Forces and coalition 

forces effectively neutralized the Iraqi Army just three 

weeks after ground operations began; 

Whereas, on July 22, 2003, after refusing to surrender, Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein 

were killed in a firefight with members of the United 

States Armed Forces in Mosul; 

Whereas, on December 13, 2003, acting on information provided through coordinated intelligence activity, members 

of the United States Armed Forces captured Saddam 

Hussein in Tikrit; 

Whereas in 2004, in direct response to an insurgent uprising 

in Fallujah, approximately 15,000 members of the United 

States Armed Forces and coalition forces entered the insurgent stronghold and reclaimed the city; 

Whereas, on October 15, 2005, the new Constitution of Iraq 

was ratified and two months later the first election for 

the Iraqi Council of Representatives was facilitated; 

Whereas, on June 7, 2006, in a significant blow to the insurgent campaign, a United States Air Force airstrike near 

Baquba killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of alQaeda in Iraq; 

Whereas, on January 10, 2007, with the number of members 

of the United States Armed Forces in Iraq totaling approximately 140,000, a surge of 21,000 American troops 


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•HRES 128 IH 

was announced under the banner of ‘‘A New Way Forward’’; 

Whereas, on June 1, 2007, in what was called ‘‘The Awakening’’, Sunni tribe members joined the United States 

Armed Forces and coalition forces in targeting militants 

in Anbar Province and other locations, leading to a significant decrease in insurgent violence; 

Whereas, on September 1, 2008, the United States Armed 

Forces in Anbar Province formally transferred security 

responsibilities to Iraqi forces; 

Whereas, on February 1, 2009, reductions in the number of 

members of the United States Armed Forces serving in 

Iraq began; 

Whereas, on June 30, 2009, the United States Armed Forces 

withdrew from Baghdad and other cities in accordance 

with the Status of Forces Agreement between the United 

States and the Government of Iraq; 

Whereas, on March 7, 2010, with the support of the United 

States Armed Forces and coalition forces, Iraqi parliamentary elections are held under the control of Iraqi 

security forces, with voter turnout registering above 60 

percent; 

Whereas in September 2010, the remaining combat forces of 

the United States Armed Forces departed from Iraq, 

prompting the redesignation of the contingency operation 

from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn; 

Whereas, on December 18, 2011, all remaining members of 

the United States Armed Forces departed from Iraq; 

Whereas between March 2003 and December 2011, more 

than 1.5 million members of the United States Armed 


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•HRES 128 IH 

Forces served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation 

New Dawn; 

Whereas 4,486 members of the United States Armed Forces 

made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in Operation 

Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn and more than 

32,000 members of the United States Armed Forces were 

wounded during almost nine years of military operations 

in Iraq; 

Whereas four Medals of Honor, the highest United States 

award for military valor, were awarded for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; 

Whereas at least 327 Silver Stars, 21 Navy Crosses, and 15 

Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to members 

of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; and 

Whereas March 19, 2013, is the 10th anniversary of the start 

of United States military operations in Iraq as Operation 

Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) extends its gratitude to the more than 1.5 

3 million members of the United States Armed Forces, 

4 from both the regular and reserve components of the 

5 Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 

6 and Merchant Marine, who served in Operation Iraqi 

7 Freedom and Operation New Dawn; 

8 (2) recognizes the success of the United States 

9 Armed Forces in operations against a dangerous and 

10 determined enemy; 


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•HRES 128 IH 

1 (3) recognizes the tremendous personal sacrifice 

2 of the members of the United States Armed Forces 

3 who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Oper4 ation New Dawn, many of whom were committed to 

5 multiple deployments away from loved ones, and the 

6 contributions of military families on the homefront; 

7 (4) pays tribute to the 4,486 members of the 

8 United States Armed Forces who lost their lives in 

9 Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn; 

10 and 

11 (5) commits itself to honoring the memory of 

12 these heroes for their courage and sacrifice. 

Æ 


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