•HRES 29 IH 
data and made the Field Artillery a leader in computer 
developments for the Army; 
Whereas, in 1963, the 1st Aerial Artillery Group (Provi-
sional) was organized at Fort Sill to test equipping CH– 
34 helicopters with rocket pods attached to each side, 
converting the transport aircraft, an easy target in most 
combat situations, into flying weapons capable of direct 
or indirect fires; 
Whereas modern helicopter gunships are descendants of the 
1963 test program at Fort Sill; 
Whereas, on August 8, 1990, Fort Sill became actively in-
volved in supporting Operation Desert Shield, with initial 
activities centered around the preparation of III Corps 
Artillery units for deployment; 
Whereas, during Operation Desert Shield, Fort Sill— 
(1) deployed 19 Active and 20 Reserve units; 
(2) processed 9,246 Active and 1,397 Reserve per-
sonnel; 
(3) trained, equipped, and validated reserve compo-
nent units and personnel; 
(4) supported active component units and personnel; 
(5) prepared and shipped equipment to ports for 
shipment to the battlefield; and 
(6) with help from Army Reserve units, expanded 
the training base for initial military training; 
Whereas, during Operation Desert Shield, Fort Sill agencies 
supported Active and Reserve component units and per-
sonnel with all classes of supply, medical, dental, mainte-
nance, personnel, finance, training, and transportation 
services prior to deployment; 
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Whereas Fort Sill immediately implemented its force-protec-
tion plan the morning of September 11, 2001— 
(1) by opening its installation operations center to 
coordinate security measures around the clock; and 
(2) by activating its quick-reaction force— 
(A) to guard the outer perimeter roads; 
(B) to serve as roving security patrols; and 
(C) to perform other security duties; 
Whereas, in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, 
Fort Sill furnished security personnel for high-risk tar-
gets and hardened major entries with concrete and water- 
filled blocks, while at the same time continuing its pri-
mary mission of training officers, new soldiers, and non-
commissioned officers; 
Whereas Fort Sill supported Operation Enduring Freedom in 
Afghanistan— 
(1) by serving as a mobilization station for— 
(A) the 5045th Garrison Support Unit (Military 
Police), which augmented installation security ef-
forts; 
(B) the 1st Battalion, 379th Field Artillery, 
which augmented the training base; and 
(C) the 2nd Battalion, 379th Field Artillery, 
which augmented the training base; and 
(2) by mobilizing the 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry 
from the Texas Army National Guard to staff the entry 
gates of the installation; 
Whereas, although the 5045th Garrison Support Unit, the 
1st Battalion, 379th Field Artillery, the 2nd Battalion, 
379th Field Artillery, and the 3rd Battalion, 141st In-
fantry were eventually deactivated, Fort Sill mobilized 
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•HRES 29 IH 
and deployed numerous additional units and improved 
force protection during Operation Enduring Freedom; 
Whereas Fort Sill supported Operation Iraqi Freedom in 
2003 by deploying more than 5,000 active duty soldiers 
and 400 reserve component soldiers, including— 
(1) C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery, 
the first unit to deploy from Fort Sill; 
(2) the 75th Field Artillery Brigade, which deployed 
more than 200 soldiers; 
(3) the 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery, which de-
ployed approximately 300 soldiers; 
(4) the 2nd Battalion, 18th Field Artillery, which 
deployed approximately 300 soldiers; 
(5) soldiers from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade; 
(6) soldiers from the 212th Field Artillery Brigade; 
and 
(7) additional soldiers and units; 
Whereas Fort Sill is— 
(1) the only active duty Army installation of all the 
forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars; 
(2) the second-oldest continuously serving military 
installation west of the Mississippi River; and 
(3) designated as a National Historic Landmark; 
Whereas Fort Sill serves as home of— 
(1) the United States Army Field Artillery School; 
(2) the United States Army Air Defense Artillery 
School; 
(3) the 428th Field Artillery Training Brigade; 
(4) the 30th Air Defense Artillery Training Brigade; 
(5) the 434th Field Artillery Basic Combat Training 
Brigade; 
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(6) the Marine Corps Field Artillery Military Occu-
pational Specialty School; 
(7) a Marine Corps detachment; 
(8) the 75th (Forces Command) Fires Brigade; and 
(9) the 31st (Forces Command) Air Defense Artil-
lery Brigade; 
Whereas thousands of soldiers and Marines have been trained 
for service in the Field Artillery at Fort Sill, including 
former President Harry S. Truman, who, during World 
War I, became the commander of Company D, 129th 
Field Artillery, entering combat in the last few months 
of the war, moving his horse-drawn battery to engage the 
enemy and support the infantry, and firing his last shot 
on the day of the Armistice at 10:45 a.m.; 
Whereas the people of Oklahoma take great pride in the his-
tory of Fort Sill and in the continuing critical role the 
Field Artillery plays in the defense of the United States; 
Whereas Fort Sill is known as the birthplace of military com-
bat aviation, where the 1st Aero Squadron, under Cap-
tain Benjamin Foulois— 
(1) uncrated new, unassembled airplanes and put 
those planes together in 1915; 
(2) pushed the Curtiss JN–3 planes (known as ‘‘Fly-
ing Jennies’’) to Polo Field; and 
(3) on August 10, 1915, flew the planes for the first 
time; 
Whereas Henry Post Army Airfield is the oldest airfield in 
the Army, having been surveyed and established by Cap-
tain H.R. Eyrich in August 1917; 
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•HRES 29 IH 
Whereas Henry Post Army Airfield is named after Second 
Lieutenant Henry B. Post, who was killed in a plane 
crash in California in 1914; 
Whereas several individuals associated with Fort Sill have re-
ceived the highest honor for their bravery and sacrifice, 
including— 
(1) Captain Gary M. Rose, who received the Medal 
of Honor for action in Laos in 1970 and attended the 
Field Artillery Officer Basic Course and Field Artillery 
Officer Advance Course in the 1970s; 
(2) First Lieutenant Lee R. Hartell, who post-
humously received the Medal of Honor for action in the 
Korean War; and 
(3) Sergeant First Class Jared Monti, who received 
the Medal of Honor for heroic action in Afghanistan; 
Whereas the Fires Center of Excellence consists of— 
(1) the United States Army Field Artillery School; 
(2) the Air Defense Artillery School; 
(3) the Directorate of Training Development and 
Doctrine; 
(4) the Capabilities Development and Integration 
Directorate; 
(5) the Army Multi-Domain Targeting Center; and 
(6) additional tenant units; 
Whereas Fort Sill is a large military installation in the 
United States, covering approximately 94,000 acres, 
with— 
(1) a $2,261,000 economic impact to the Lawton- 
Fort Sill region of Oklahoma in 2016; and 
(2) approximately 10,000 military and civilian per-
sonnel as of 2016; and 
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