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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On July 18, 2017, the Texas Army National Guard is |
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celebrating the 100th anniversary of its historic 36th Infantry |
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Division; and |
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WHEREAS, Organized at Camp Bowie in 1917, the 36th was |
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originally made up of soldiers from Texas and Oklahoma, and the |
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division's shoulder patch reflected that composition with a flint |
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arrowhead representing Oklahoma and a capital letter T for Texas; |
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the division sailed for Europe in July 1918 and played a significant |
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role in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which was fought from |
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September 26 until the armistice of November 11, 1918, and which has |
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been called the greatest American battle of World War I; over the |
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course of its service in the Great War, the 36th lost 466 men |
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killed, while another 2,118 were wounded; and |
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WHEREAS, After being deactivated in June 1919, the 36th was |
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reactivated in November 1940 as a purely Texas division; during |
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World War II, the members of the 36th were involved in the Allied |
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landing near Salerno, southern Italy, in September 1943, and during |
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the grueling Italian campaign, they fought at San Pietro, Cassino, |
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and Anzio and helped to liberate Rome; in August 1944, the division |
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landed on the Mediterranean coast of France as part of Operation |
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Dragoon, and it subsequently fought its way up through eastern |
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France, across southern Germany, and into Austria; in the waning |
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days of the war in Europe, its troops captured a number of |
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high-ranking Nazi officials and officers, including Hermann |
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Göering and Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt; altogether, the |
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division saw 400 days of combat in World War II and suffered more |
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than 3,100 men killed, as well as some 13,200 wounded, 500 missing |
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in action, and 2,600 captured; among the awards garnered by |
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elements and personnel of the division were 12 Presidential Unit |
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Citations, 14 Medals of Honor, and 80 Distinguished Service |
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Crosses; and |
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WHEREAS, During the Global War on Terror, units of the 36th |
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served several deployments in Iraq between 2005 and 2010, securing |
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logistics convoys and routes, providing aviation support, |
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conducting detainee operations, and providing command and control |
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for U.S. forces during the Iraq drawdown; since the beginning of |
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2016, two task forces of the 36th have been mobilized in support of |
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the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, where they have provided |
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command and control for the Train, Advise and Assist |
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Command--South; they are the first National Guard units to assume |
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responsibility for a regional command in Afghanistan in a combat |
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environment; and |
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WHEREAS, Answering their nation's call to duty during three |
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distinct times of conflict, the courageous Texans of the 36th |
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Infantry Division have met every challenge put before them and |
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consistently embodied the highest ideals of this country's armed |
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forces; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial of the 36th Infantry |
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Division of the Texas Army National Guard and extend to its men and |
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women heartfelt gratitude for their service and sincere best wishes |
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for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the 36th Infantry Division as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |