H. Con. Res. 371
Agreed to April 6, 2006
One Hundred Ninth Congress
of the
United States of America 
AT THE SECOND SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and six 
Concurrent Resolution
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard traces its origins to the 
formation of the Pioneer Guard in the Minnesota territory 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 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 regi-
ment saw battle at Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg; 
Whereas during a critical moment in the Battle of Gettysburg 
on July 3, 1863, 262 soldiers of the First Minnesota Infantry, 
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 volunteer 
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 regiment, under 
the command of Major General Arthur MacArthur, 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 Minnesota National 
Guard; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard was mobilized for duty 
in World War I, where many Minnesotans saw duty 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 Min-
nesota National Guard, which passed its muster 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;
H. Con. Res. 371—2
Whereas these men from Brainerd fought hard and bravely as 
American forces were pushed into the Bataan Peninsula and 
ultimately endured the Bataan Death March; 
Whereas men of the Minnesota National Guard’s 175th Field Artil-
lery, as part of the 34th ‘‘Red Bull’’ Division, became the first 
American Division to be deployed to Europe in January of 1942; 
Whereas when the 34th Division was shipped to North Africa, 
it fired the first American shells against the Nazi forces; 
Whereas the 34th Division participated in six major Army cam-
paigns 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 Europe; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard served with distinction 
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 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 numerous 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 Afghanistan, Pakistan, 
Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Iraq; 
Whereas more than 600 Minnesota National Guard troops have 
been deployed to Afghanistan in Operation Enduring 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 deployment since 
World War II, with more than 2,600 citizen soldiers called to 
service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; 
Whereas the Minnesota National Guard has greatly contributed 
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 logistics, and helped sandbagging efforts; and 
Whereas on April 17, 2006, the Minnesota National Guard will 
celebrate its 150th anniversary along with its historical and 
recent accomplishments: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concur-
ring), That Congress—
(1) honors and congratulates the Minnesota National Guard 
for its spirit of dedication and service 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
H. Con. Res. 371—3
the United States Army, has been and still is extremely impor-
tant to the security and freedom of the Nation. 
Attest:
Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Attest:
Secretary of the Senate.