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[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.
                                 <all>
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