III 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 177
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 5, 2003
Received and referred to the Committee on Armed Forces 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing and commending the members of the United 
States Armed Forces and their leaders, and the allies 
of the United States and their armed forces, who partici-
pated in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan 
and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and recognizing 
the continuing dedication of military families and em-
ployers and defense civilians and contractors and the 
countless communities and patriotic organizations that 
lent their support to the Armed Forces during those 
operations.
Whereas the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the 
United States, which killed thousands of people from the 
United States and other countries in New York, Virginia, 
and Pennsylvania, inaugurated the Global War on Ter-
rorism; 
Whereas the intelligence community quickly identified Al 
Qaeda as a terrorist organization with global reach and
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the President determined that United States national se-
curity required the elimination of the Al Qaeda terrorist 
organization;
Whereas the Taliban regime of Afghanistan had long har-
bored Al Qaeda, providing members of that organization 
a safe haven from which to attack the United States and 
its friends and allies, and the refusal of that regime to 
discontinue its support for international terrorism and 
surrender Al Qaeda’s leaders to the United States made 
it a threat to international peace and security; 
Whereas Saddam Hussein and his regime’s longstanding 
sponsorship of international terrorism, active pursuit of 
weapons of mass destruction, use of such weapons 
against Iraq’s own citizens and neighboring countries, ag-
gression against Iraq’s neighbors, and brutal repression 
of Iraq’s population made Saddam Hussein and his re-
gime a threat to international peace and security; 
Whereas the United States pursued sustained diplomatic, po-
litical, and economic efforts to remove those threats 
peacefully; 
Whereas on October 7, 2001, the Armed Forces of the 
United States and its coalition allies launched military 
operations in Afghanistan, designated as Operation En-
during Freedom, that quickly caused the collapse of the 
Taliban regime, the elimination of Afghanistan’s terrorist 
infrastructure, and the capture of significant and numer-
ous members of Al Qaeda; 
Whereas on March 19, 2003, the Armed Forces of the United 
States and its coalition allies launched military oper-
ations, designated as Operation Iraqi Freedom, that
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quickly caused the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime, 
the elimination of Iraq’s terrorist infrastructure, the end 
of Iraq’s illicit and illegal programs to acquire weapons 
of mass destruction, and the capture of significant inter-
national terrorists; 
Whereas in those two campaigns in the Global War on Ter-
rorism, as of May 1, 2003, nearly 330,000 members of 
the United States Armed Forces, comprised of active, re-
serve, and National Guard members and units, had de-
ployed for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation 
Iraqi Freedom; 
Whereas as of May 1, 2003, some 224,500 Reserve and Na-
tional Guard members of the Armed Forces had been 
called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom; 
Whereas in the conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom and 
Operation Iraqi Freedom, as of May 1, 2003, 67 military 
servicemembers and other United States personnel had 
given their lives in Afghanistan and 140 had been lost in 
Iraq, while over 700 had been wounded and 8 were held 
as prisoners of war; 
Whereas success in those two campaigns in the Global War 
on Terrorism would not have been possible without the 
dedication, courage, and service of the members of the 
United States Armed Forces and the military and irreg-
ular forces of the friends and allies of the United States; 
Whereas the support, love, and commitment from the families 
of United States service personnel participating in those 
two operations, as well as that of the communities and 
patriotic organizations which provided support through 
the United Services Organization (USO), Operation Dear
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Abby, and Operation UpLink, helped to sustain those 
service personnel and enabled them to eliminate signifi-
cant threats to United States national security while lib-
erating oppressed peoples from dictatorial regimes; 
Whereas the civilian employees of the Department of De-
fense, through their hard work and dedication, enabled 
United States military forces to quickly and effectively 
achieve the United States military missions in Afghani-
stan and Iraq; 
Whereas the commitment of companies making their employ-
ees available for military service, the creativity and initia-
tive of contractors equipping the Nation’s Armed Forces 
with the best and most modern equipment, and the inge-
nuity of service companies assisting with the global over-
seas deployment of the Armed Forces demonstrates that 
the entrepreneurial spirit of the United States is an ex-
traordinarily valuable defense asset; and 
Whereas the Nation should pause to recognize with appro-
priate tributes and days of remembrance the sacrifice of 
those members of the Armed Forces who died or were 
wounded in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation 
Iraqi Freedom, as well as all who served in or supported 
either of those operations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) conveys its deepest sympathy and condo-
lences to the families and friends of the members of 
United States and coalition forces who have been in-
jured, wounded, or killed during Operation Enduring 
Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom;
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(2) commends President George W. Bush, Sec-
retary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, and United 
States 
Central 
Command 
commander 
General 
Tommy Franks, United States Army, for their plan-
ning and execution of enormously successful military 
campaigns in Operation Enduring Freedom and Op-
eration Iraqi Freedom; 
(3) expresses its highest commendation and 
most sincere appreciation to the members of the 
United States Armed Forces who participated in Op-
eration Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi 
Freedom, including the members of the organiza-
tional elements specified in section 2 of this resolu-
tion; 
(4) commends the Department of Defense civil-
ian employees and the defense contractor personnel 
whose skills made possible the equipping of the 
greatest Armed Force in the annals of modern mili-
tary endeavor; 
(5) calls upon communities across the Nation—
(A) to prepare appropriate homecoming 
ceremonies to honor and welcome home the 
members of the Armed Forces participating in 
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation 
Iraqi Freedom and to recognize their contribu-
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tions to United States homeland security and to 
the Global War on Terrorism; and 
(B) to prepare appropriate ceremonies to 
commemorate with tributes and days of remem-
brance the service and sacrifice of those 
servicemembers killed or wounded during either 
of those operations; 
(6) expresses the deep gratitude of the Nation 
to the 21 steadfast allies in Operation Enduring 
Freedom and to the 49 coalition members in Oper-
ation Iraqi Freedom, especially the United Kingdom, 
Australia, and Poland, whose forces, support, and 
contributions were invaluable and unforgettable; and 
(7) recommits the United States to ensuring 
the safety of the United States homeland, to pre-
venting weapons of mass destruction from reaching 
the hands of terrorists, and to helping the people of 
Iraq and Afghanistan build free and vibrant demo-
cratic societies. 
SEC. 2. (a) OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.—The orga-
nizational elements of the Armed Forces referred to in 
paragraph (3) of the first section of this resolution mem-
bers of which participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom are 
the following: 
(1) From the Army—
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(A) Army Forces Central Command—3rd 
United States Army. 
(B) V Corps Command Element. 
(C) 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). 
(D) 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). 
(E) 82nd Airborne Division. 
(F) 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized). 
(G) Elements of the 1st Infantry Division, 
10th Mountain Division, and 1st Armored Divi-
sion. 
(H) 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. 
(I) 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. 
(J) 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep). 
(K) 11th Aviation Group. 
(2) From the Marine Corps—
(A) Marine Forces Central Command. 
(B) 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. 
(C) 1st Marine Division. 
(D) 3rd Marine Air Wing. 
(E) 1st Force Service Support Group. 
(F) 2nd Force Service Support Group/Ma-
rine Logistics Command. 
(G) 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade 
(Task Force Tarawa).
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(H) The following Marine expeditionary 
units: 
(i) 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. 
(ii) 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. 
(iii) 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. 
(3) From the Navy—
(A) Naval Forces Central Command—
United States 5th Fleet. 
(B) Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike 
Force. 
(C) Nimitz Carrier Strike Force. 
(D) Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike 
Force. 
(E) Constellation Carrier Strike Force. 
(F) Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Force. 
(G) Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Force. 
(H) Amphibious Task Force East. 
(I) Amphibious Task Force West. 
(J) Nassau Amphibious Ready Group. 
(K) Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group. 
(L) Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. 
(M) Amphibious Group 3. 
(N) The following maritime prepositioning 
squadrons: