109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 371
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard traces its origins to 
the formation of the Pioneer Guard in the Minnesota ter-
ritory in 1856, two years before Minnesota became the 
32nd State in the Union; 
Whereas the First Minnesota Infantry regiment was among 
the first militia regiments in the Nation to respond to
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President Lincoln’s call for troops in April 1861 when it 
volunteered for three years of service during the Civil 
War; 
Whereas during the Civil War the First Minnesota Infantry 
regiment saw battle at Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettys-
burg; 
Whereas during a critical moment in the Battle of Gettysburg 
on July 3, 1863, 262 soldiers of the First Minnesota In-
fantry, along with other Union forces, bravely charged 
and stopped Confederate troops attacking the center of 
the Union position on Cemetery Ridge; 
Whereas only 47 men answered the roll after this valiant 
charge, earning the First Minnesota Infantry the highest 
casualty rate of any unit in the Civil War; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was the first to vol-
unteer for service in the Philippines and Cuba during the 
Spanish-American War of 1898, with enough men to 
form three regiments; 
Whereas one of the three Minnesota regiments to report for 
duty in the War with Spain, the 13th Volunteer regi-
ment, under the command of Major General Arthur Mac-
Arthur, saw among the heaviest fighting of the war in 
the battle of Manila and suffered more casualties than all 
other regiments combined during that key confrontation 
to free the Philippines; 
Whereas after the cross-border raids of Pancho Villa and the 
attempted instigation of a war between the United States 
and Mexico, the border was secured in part by the Min-
nesota National Guard; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was mobilized for 
duty in World War I, where many Minnesotans saw duty
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in France, including the 151st Field Artillery, which saw 
duty as part of the famed 42nd ‘‘Rainbow’’ Division; 
Whereas the first federally recognized Air National Guard 
unit in the Nation was the 109th Observation Squadron 
of the Minnesota National Guard, which passed its mus-
ter inspection on January 17, 1921; 
Whereas a tank company of the Minnesota National Guard 
from Brainerd, Minnesota was shipped to the Philippines 
in 1941 to shore up American defenses against Japan as 
World War II neared; 
Whereas these men from Brainerd fought hard and bravely 
as American forces were pushed into the Bataan Penin-
sula and ultimately endured the Bataan Death March; 
Whereas men of the Minnesota National Guard’s 175th Field 
Artillery, as part of the 34th ‘‘Red Bull’’ Division, be-
came the first American Division to be deployed to Eu-
rope in January of 1942; 
Whereas when the 34th Division was shipped to North Afri-
ca, it fired the first American shells against the Nazi 
forces; 
Whereas the 34th Division participated in six major Army 
campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, which led to 
the division being credited with taking many of the 
enemy-defended hills in the European Theater as well as 
having more combat days than any other division in Eu-
rope; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard served with distinc-
tion on the ground and in the air during Operations 
Desert Shield and Desert Storm; 
Whereas Minnesota National Guard troops have helped keep 
the peace in the former Yugoslavia, including 1,100
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troops who have seen service in Bosnia, Croatia, and 
Kosovo; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has participated in 
keeping America safe after September 11th, 2001, in nu-
merous ways, including airport security; 
Whereas the Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing’s F–16s flew 
patrols over cities after September 11th for a longer time 
than any other air defense unit; 
Whereas over 11,000 members of the Minnesota National 
Guard have been called up for full-time service since the 
September 11th terrorist attacks; 
Whereas as of March 20, 2006, Minnesota National Guard 
troops are serving in national defense missions in Af-
ghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq; 
Whereas more than 600 Minnesota National Guard troops 
have been deployed to Afghanistan in Operation Endur-
ing Freedom; 
Whereas members of the Minnesota National Guard, serving 
in the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry 
Division, have been a part of the State’s largest troop de-
ployment since World War II, with more than 2,600 cit-
izen soldiers called to service in support of Operation 
Iraqi Freedom; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has greatly contrib-
uted not only to battles but to the suppressing of violent 
riots, such as the 1947 national meat processors strike, 
in which they aided helpless police officers, and the fight 
against natural disasters such as the Red River flood in 
1997 in which they organized search and rescue missions, 
helped shelter people who were left homeless, ran logis-
tics, and helped sandbagging efforts; and
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Whereas on April 17, 2006, the Minnesota National Guard 
will celebrate its 150th anniversary along with its histor-
ical and recent accomplishments: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) honors and congratulates the Minnesota 
National Guard for its spirit of dedication and serv-
ice to the State of Minnesota and to the Nation on 
its 150th anniversary; and 
(2) recognizes that the role of the National 
Guard, the Nation’s citizen-soldier based militia, 
which was formed before the United States Army, 
has been and still is extremely important to the se-
curity and freedom of the Nation.
Passed the House of Representatives April 5, 2006. 
Attest:
Clerk.
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 371
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Honoring and congratulating the Minnesota Na-
tional Guard, on its 150th anniversary, for its 
spirit of dedication and service to the State of 
Minnesota and the Nation and recognizing that 
the role of the National Guard, the Nation’s cit-
izen-soldier based militia, which was formed be-
fore the United States Army, has been and still 
is extremely important to the security and free-
dom of the Nation.