Recognizing the exemplary service of the soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division of the Army during World War I and World War II.

Bill: 117-hres-1187
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. DesJarlais, Scott [R-TN-4]
Introduced: 2022-06-17
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Latest action: action_date: 2022-06-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-06-17
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution recognizes the exemplary service of the soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division of the Army, known as "Old Hickory," during World War II.</p>

tv_txt: IV 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1187 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 17, 2022 Mr. DesJarlais (for himself, Mr. Cooper , and Mr. Murphy of North Carolina ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Recognizing the exemplary service of the soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division of the Army during World War I and World War II.

Whereas the 30th Infantry Division of the Army was first activated in October 1917 for service in World War I; Whereas the 30th Infantry Division was nicknamed Old Hickory in honor of General and President Andrew Jackson; Whereas the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory was composed of troops from Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and was instrumental in breaking the Hindenburg Line in World War I; Whereas when the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory was reorganized at Fort Jackson in 1941 for service in World War II, the division included two North Carolina National Guard infantry regiments, one Tennessee National Guard infantry regiment, and other elements; Whereas Company B of the 117th Regiment of the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory was composed of members of the Tennessee National Guard from Athens, Tennessee, who also served in World War II; Whereas Company B was composed of 5 officers and 100 troops, all of whom were from Tennessee; Whereas 22 of those troops became officers in prominent positions in the Army; Whereas, in 1940, one year after Nazi Germany invaded Poland, thereby starting World War II, the War Department reactivated the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory ; Whereas, in 1944, the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory was deployed to the United Kingdom to participate in the planned Allied landing in Europe; Whereas after arriving in Europe during World War II, the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory engaged directly in battle alongside the British Armed Forces; Whereas during World War II, the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory landed at Normandy on June 14, 1944, participated in the advance across northern France, joined the invasion of the German Rhineland, defended the Ardennes-Alsace, and fought to the final defeat of Germany in May 1945; Whereas the 823d and the 743d Tank Destroyer Battalions were periodically attached to the 30th Division throughout its campaign in Europe; Whereas the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory played a key role in the breakout of the Allied forces from Normandy at St. Lo and the subsequent advance across northern France; Whereas the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory is remembered for its role in the defense of Mortain and St. Barthelemy, France, and Hill 317 against a German counterattack in August 1944, actions in which three infantry regiments of the division (the 117th, 119th, and 120th) and a part of a fourth regiment and other elements of the division participated; Whereas the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory also played a key role in stopping the German advance in the Battle of the Bulge and recaptured Malmedy and Stavelot and the vital bridge over the Ambleve River; Whereas, in March 1945, the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory crossed the Rhine and quickly advanced to Magdeburg by April 17, 1945; Whereas while the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory moved eastward into Germany, it liberated Weferlingen, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp, on April 12, 1945; Whereas at Weferlingen, the troops found 421 inmates who were in poor physical condition due to malnutrition and in dire need of medical attention; Whereas representatives of the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory arranged for mayors of the German towns neighboring Weferlingen to immediately furnish food for the starving inmates; Whereas in the report prepared for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, rating the American combat units that fought in the European Theater, the Army’s official historian, S.L.A. Marshall, rated the 30th Division as first among the infantry divisions that had performed the most efficient and consistent battle service; Whereas, in 2012, the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory was recognized as a liberating unit by the United States Army Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Whereas in recognition of its exemplary service during World War II, the Headquarters Company of the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the French Croix de Guerre; and Whereas the proud fighting tradition of the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory is perpetuated by the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina Army National Guard: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives recognizes the exemplary service of the soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division Old Hickory of the Army during World War II.