85R13463 JGH-D
By: Howard H.R. No. 1547
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, On July 18, 2017, the Texas Army National Guard is
celebrating the 100th anniversary of its historic 36th Infantry
Division; and
WHEREAS, Organized at Camp Bowie in 1917, the 36th was
originally made up of soldiers from Texas and Oklahoma, and the
division's shoulder patch reflected that composition with a flint
arrowhead representing Oklahoma and a capital letter T for Texas;
the division sailed for Europe in July 1918 and played a significant
role in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which was fought from
September 26 until the armistice of November 11, 1918, and which has
been called the greatest American battle of World War I; over the
course of its service in the Great War, the 36th lost 466 men
killed, while another 2,118 were wounded; and
WHEREAS, After being deactivated in June 1919, the 36th was
reactivated in November 1940 as a purely Texas division; during
World War II, the members of the 36th were involved in the Allied
landing near Salerno, southern Italy, in September 1943, and during
the grueling Italian campaign, they fought at San Pietro, Cassino,
and Anzio and helped to liberate Rome; in August 1944, the division
landed on the Mediterranean coast of France as part of Operation
Dragoon, and it subsequently fought its way up through eastern
France, across southern Germany, and into Austria; in the waning
days of the war in Europe, its troops captured a number of
high-ranking Nazi officials and officers, including Hermann
Göering and Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt; altogether, the
division saw 400 days of combat in World War II and suffered more
than 3,100 men killed, as well as some 13,200 wounded, 500 missing
in action, and 2,600 captured; among the awards garnered by
elements and personnel of the division were 12 Presidential Unit
Citations, 14 Medals of Honor, and 80 Distinguished Service
Crosses; and
WHEREAS, During the Global War on Terror, units of the 36th
served several deployments in Iraq between 2005 and 2010, securing
logistics convoys and routes, providing aviation support,
conducting detainee operations, and providing command and control
for U.S. forces during the Iraq drawdown; since the beginning of
2016, two task forces of the 36th have been mobilized in support of
the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, where they have provided
command and control for the Train, Advise and Assist
Command--South; they are the first National Guard units to assume
responsibility for a regional command in Afghanistan in a combat
environment; and
WHEREAS, Answering their nation's call to duty during three
distinct times of conflict, the courageous Texans of the 36th
Infantry Division have met every challenge put before them and
consistently embodied the highest ideals of this country's armed
forces; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the centennial of the 36th Infantry
Division of the Texas Army National Guard and extend to its men and
women heartfelt gratitude for their service and sincere best wishes
for the future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the 36th Infantry Division as an expression of high
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.