79R14114 MMS-D

By:  Miller                                                       H.R. No. 1367



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The United States Army III Corps, based at Fort Hood 
under the command of Lieutenant General Thomas F. Metz, boasts a 
proud record of exceptional service to this country; and
	WHEREAS, First organized during World War I, the corps was 
activated in France in May 1918; over the following six months, 
before the armistice was signed in November, it won battle 
streamers for its participation in five European campaigns; and
	WHEREAS, During the Second World War, III Corps trained 
thousands of troops for combat before deploying to Europe in 
September 1944; in the ensuing months, the corps took part in most 
of the critical fighting between Normandy and the German-Austrian 
border, including a daring counterattack against the German salient 
during the Battle of the Bulge; nicknamed the "Phantom Corps," for 
hitting the enemy when and where it least expected, III Corps added 
campaign streamers for Northern France, Rhineland, 
Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe, took more than 225,000 
prisoners, and seized more than 4,500 square miles of German 
territory; and
	WHEREAS, In 1954, III Corps moved from Camp Roberts, 
California, to Fort Hood, Texas; throughout the 1950s, the corps 
participated in a number of exercises designed to test new 
doctrines, organizations, and equipment, a mission that grew in 
scope over the following decades; and
	WHEREAS, The period of the Cold War presented III Corps with a 
succession of challenges; it trained more than 40,000 individual 
replacements for duty in Vietnam and supervised the training of 
more than 137 units and detachments for service in Southeast Asia; 
in addition, III Corps units fought and supported operations in 
Grenada, Panama, and Honduras and provided humanitarian support for 
Operation Restore Hope in Somalia; and
	WHEREAS, Formerly part of the U.S. Strategic Army Forces, III 
Corps became part of Forces Command in 1973; its active-duty, Fort 
Hood-based peacetime organization consists of more than 47,000 
soldiers and is composed of the 1st Cavalry Division, 4th Infantry 
Division, 13th Corps Support Command, and three separate brigades; 
in peacetime, the corps also commands forces stationed at Fort 
Bliss, Texas; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and Fort 
Riley, Kansas; a number of reserve  units are also associated with 
the corps; and
	WHEREAS, Since the end of the Cold War, units of III Corps 
have been heavily involved in overseas operations; the 1st Cavalry 
Division, with the attached 1st "Tiger" Brigade of the 2nd Armored 
Division, deployed to Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 
October 1990; as the theater reserve, the 1st Cavalry played an 
instrumental role in the famed "Left Hook" to defeat Iraqi ground 
forces; and
	WHEREAS, In 1998-1999, the 1st Cavalry participated in 
Operation Joint Endeavor, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and from 
January 2004 to April 2005, the unit deployed in support of 
Operation Iraqi Freedom; during its tour in Iraq, the 1st 
Cavalry--the army's premier heavy-armored division--assumed 
responsibility for securing the city of Baghdad and its environs; 
and
	WHEREAS, The 4th Infantry Division, the army's first fully 
digitized division, deployed in February 2003 with its 17,000 
soldiers as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom; in December 2003, 
members of the unit captured the former Iraqi dictator Saddam 
Hussein; and
	WHEREAS, With nearly 6,000 soldiers, the 13th Corps Support 
Command shipped out to Iraq in two stages between 2002 and 2004, to 
provide logistical and medical support for III Corps troops; 
Headquarters III Corps also deployed to Iraq, where it assumed the 
role of Multinational Corps--Iraq, the organization that directs 
all tactical operations and intelligence functions in the Iraqi 
theater; in January 2005, that group oversaw the Iraqi national 
elections; and
	WHEREAS, Sustained by their unwavering devotion to duty, 
honor, and the cause of freedom, the men and women of III Corps have 
forged a tradition of courageous and selfless military service and 
earned their fellow citizens' deepest respect and gratitude; now, 
therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby honor the members of the United States Army III 
Corps and extend to them profound appreciation on behalf of all 
Texans.