H.Con.Res. 37 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 37 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 21, 2013 Mr. Higgins (for himself and Mr. Collins of New York) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress that a site in Arlington National Cemetery should be provided for a memorial marker to honor the memory of the 14 members of the Army’s 24th Infantry Division who have received the Medal of Honor. Whereas the 24th Infantry Division of the Army was established in the fall of 1941 from the Hawaiian Division in preparation for war on the Pacific Front; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division ascribed the motto of First to Fight and a taro leaf for its insignia, and later became recognized as the Victory Division for its valiant efforts; Whereas during World War II, the 24th Infantry Division was one of the first United States Army divisions to see combat in the war and among the last to stop fighting; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division established coastal defenses on the north side of Oahu Island quickly following the attack on Pearl Harbor; Whereas despite torrential rain and marshy terrain, the 24th Infantry Division quickly seized the Hollandia Airdrome in Dutch New Guinea and three other Japanese airfields, efforts that were critical in securing all of New Guinea and establishing a headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division spearheaded the successful mission to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese by securing both Leyte and later the island of Luzon; Whereas at the end of World War II, the 24th Infantry Division was one of only 10 United States Army divisions to remain activated; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division was the first fighting unit deployed to Korea in response to the North Korea’s attack on the Republic of Korea in 1950, and the first to engage the North Koreans in the war’s first battle at Osan; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division, with its service in Korea, became the first United States Division to actively serve under the emblem of the nascent United Nations; Whereas during the Korean War, the 24th Infantry Division was heavily engaged on the front lines defending the Republic of Korea and critical in delaying North Korean and Chinese advances at the Pusan Perimeter; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division remained on front-line duty after the armistice to patrol the demarcation line in the event combat would resume; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division, along with the Marine Corps, were the first United States troops ever sent to Lebanon as intervention forces to provide security assistance in 1958; Whereas the 24th Infantry Division was critical in operations in Berlin, El Salvador, Somalia, Kuwait, Haiti, Bosnia, and the first to be deployed to Iraq for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm; and Whereas 14 soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division, Captain Francis B. Wai, Private Harold H. Moon, Jr., Sergeant Charles E. Mower, Private First Class James H. Diamond, Major General William F. Dean, Sergeant George D. Libby, Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich, Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr., First Lieutenant Carl H. Dodd, Sergeant First Class Nelson V. Brittin, Sergeant First Class Ray E. Duke, Sergeant First Class Stanley T. Adams, Master Sergeant Woodrow W. Keeble, and Private First Class Mack A. Jordan, have received the Medal of Honor for their sacrificial and intrepid acts on the battlefield in World War II and the Korean War: Now, therefore, be it That Congress— (1) recognizes the proud history of the 24th Infantry Division and the soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division who made countless sacrifices to protect the Nation’s freedom; (2) remembers with profound gratitude, sorrow, and respect the 14 soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division who received the Medal of Honor; and (3) encourages the provision of an appropriate site in Arlington National Cemetery for a memorial marker to honor the memory of the 14 soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division who received the Medal of Honor, as long as the Secretary of the Army has exclusive authority to approve the design and site of the memorial marker.