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78R17175 MMS-D

By:  Mercer                                                       H.R. No. 1597



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Since its creation almost a century ago, the U.S. 
Army's Second (Indian Head) Division has rendered exceptional 
service to this nation in both times of war and times of peace; and
	WHEREAS, The Second Division was formed in France in October 
1917, when it was composed of one brigade of artillery, one brigade 
of infantry, and one brigade of U.S. Marines; it is the only U.S. 
Army division ever to be formed on foreign soil and also the only 
one ever to be commanded by a Marine, Major General John A. LeJeune; 
the Second Division distinguished itself in six major campaigns in 
World War I, capturing more enemy soldiers than any other division; 
and
	WHEREAS, Landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus one during 
World War II, the Second Division subsequently fought in five major 
campaigns and at one point stayed on the front line for 71 days, 
longer than any other division; in the Battle of the Bulge, the 
Second Division faced three German divisions and stopped the enemy 
advance on Antwerp, thereby saving the First U.S. Army; it later led 
the liberation of Czechoslovakia, the first country captured by the 
Germans and the last one freed; and
	WHEREAS, During the Korean War the Second Division fought 
gallantly in eight major campaigns; at Kuna Ri, it faced and stopped 
troops of the Chinese army, allowing the Eighth U.S. Army to 
withdraw and reorganize; over the course of that long and grueling 
war to ensure a free and secure South Korean peninsula, the Second 
Division suffered the heaviest casualties of all divisions under 
U.N. command; and
	WHEREAS, Between the First and Second World Wars, the Second 
Division was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio; members 
of the division routinely hiked with full packs and equipment along 
19 miles of Farm-to-Market Road 1535 to Camp Bullis, where they 
trained in tick-infested woods and bivouacked for a week or more in 
pup tents before hiking the return route to the fort; and
	WHEREAS, In honor of the thousands of brave and dedicated 
soldiers who have served under the banner of the Second (Indian 
Head) Division and those who are serving today at Camp Casey, South 
Korea, as the Second Infantry Division, the chief U.S. force 
stationed in that country as a deterrent to North Korea, the Texas 
Legislature has designated FM 1535 in San Antonio as the Second 
Indian Head Division Memorial Highway; and
	WHEREAS, Citizens of this nation owe an immeasurable debt to 
the members of the Second Division, who have served valiantly 
through many arduous trials and whose efforts and sacrifice have 
secured the liberties of countless people at home and abroad; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the members of the U.S. Army's 
Second (Indian Head) Division for their devotion to duty, honor, 
and their country and extend to them profound appreciation for 
their heroic and steadfast service.