One Hundred Tenth Congress of the United States of America
At the Second Session
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, the third day of January, two thousand and eight
H. J. RES. 70
JOINT RESOLUTION
Congratulating the Army Reserve on its centennial, which will be formally celebrated on April 23, 2008, and commemorating the historic contributions of its veterans and continuing contributions of its soldiers to the vital national security interests and homeland defense missions of the United States.
Whereas on January 9, 1905, the 26th President of the
United States, Theodore Roosevelt, dispatched a special message
to the Senate and the House of Representatives that earnestly
recommended passage
of legislation to establish a Federal reserve force
of skilled and trained personnel to bring our Army * * * to the highest
point of efficiency
;
Whereas on December 14, 1905, the then-Secretary of War
and later 27th President of the United States, William Howard Taft, transmitted
to the Senate and the House of Representatives a draft bill and letter authored
by Major General Leonard Wood, strongly commending * * * proposed
legislation
to increase the efficiency of the Medical Corps of
the Army
by establishing a Federal reserve force comprised of specially
trained personnel;
Whereas in response to the recommendations of President
Theodore Roosevelt and senior military and civilian leaders, the 60th Congress
enacted Public Law 101, entitled An Act to increase the efficiency of
the Medical Department of the United States Army
, ch. 150, 35 Stat. 66,
which was signed into law on April 23, 1908, by President Theodore
Roosevelt;
Whereas Public Law 101 authorized the establishment of the first Federal reserve force and the first reservoir of trained officers in a reserve status for a United States military service;
Whereas Congress subsequently adapted, expanded, and amended the reserve organization of the Army to include additional military occupational specialties and capabilities and established the organization today known as the Army Reserve;
Whereas the Army Reserve has played a major role in the defense of our Nation and in furtherance of United States interests for 100 years;
Whereas many distinguished Americans have served honorably and with distinction in the Army Reserve, including Presidents Harry S Truman and Ronald W. Reagan, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry H. Shelton, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Major General William J. Donovan (Director of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II), Drs. Charles H. Mayo and William J. Mayo, and Captain Eddie Rickenbacker;
Whereas the Army Reserve contributed 169,500 soldiers to the Army during World War I;
Whereas the Army Reserve contributed 200,000 soldiers and 29 percent of the Army’s officers during World War II and was recognized by General George C. Marshall for its unique and invaluable contributions to the national defense;
Whereas 240,500 soldiers of the Army Reserve were called to active duty during the Korean War;
Whereas more than 60,000 Army Reserve soldiers were called to active duty during the Berlin Crisis;
Whereas 35 Army Reserve units were activated and deployed in support of operations in Vietnam, where they served with distinction and honor;
Whereas the Army Reserve contributed more than 94,000 soldiers in support of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in 1990 and 1991;
Whereas the Army Reserve contributed more than 48 percent of the reserve component soldiers mobilized in support of Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard in Bosnia;
Whereas since September 11, 2001, the Army Reserve has provided indispensable and sustained support for Operations Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle, and Iraqi Freedom, with 98 percent of units either deployed or providing mobilized soldiers, and more than 147,000 individual soldiers being mobilized (of which more than 110,000 individual soldiers have deployed) in support of the Global War on Terrorism;
Whereas more than 39,000 individual soldiers of the Army Reserve have served multiple deployments since September 11, 2001;
Whereas 13,003 Army Reserve soldiers were forward-deployed in the Central Command Area of Responsibility on October 31, 2007, and 102 soldiers of the Army Reserve had borne the ultimate sacrifice in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom through October 31, 2007;
Whereas the Army Reserve is organized into 3 components, the Ready Reserve, the Standby Reserve, and the Retired Reserve, which together contain more than 601,000 soldiers;
Whereas the Army cannot go to war or sustain a military operation without the highly skilled and trained personnel of the Army Reserve;
Whereas the Army Reserve provides more than 37 percent of the mission essential combat support and combat service support forces of the Army;
Whereas 100 percent of the Army’s Internment Settlement Brigades, Judge Advocate General Units (Legal Support Organizations), Medical Groups, Railway Units, and Training and Exercise Divisions are in the Army Reserve;
Whereas more than 66 percent of the Army’s Civil Affairs Units, Psychological Operations Units, Theater Signal Commands, Expeditionary Sustainment Commands, and Medical Capabilities are in the Army Reserve;
Whereas the Army Reserve is no longer a force held in strategic reserve but today functions as an integral and essential operational reserve in support of the missions of the active Army;
Whereas the Army cannot go to war or sustain a military operation without the skilled and trained Ready Reserve and Retired Reserve soldiers of the Army Reserve;
Whereas the Selected Reserve component of the Army Reserve is comprised of more than 30,000 officers and 150,000 enlisted soldiers who have volunteered their personal service in defense of the Constitution and their fellow citizens;
Whereas the Army and the Army Reserve are recognized as institutions that have played historic and decisive roles in promoting the cause of individual dignity and the value of integration;
Whereas nearly one in four Selected Reserve soldiers and more than one in five Individual Ready Reserve soldiers are women whose contributions are consistently characterized by a high degree of commitment, professionalism, and military bearing;
Whereas the ability of individual soldiers and the Army Reserve to perform their wartime missions is contingent on the active engagement and support of their families, employers, and local communities;
Whereas the Army Reserve is a community-based force with an active presence in 1,100 communities and 975 Army Reserve centers in operation throughout the United States;
Whereas Sir Winston Churchill once remarked that
Reservists are twice the citizen
, a sentiment that applies
especially to the soldiers of the Army Reserve; and
Whereas the Army Reserve makes these contributions to the security of our Nation in return for less than 5 percent of the Army’s total budget: Now, therefore, be it
That the Congress—
congratulates the Army Reserve on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the enactment of its original authorizing law;
recognizes and commends the Army Reserve for the selfless and dedicated service of its past and present citizen-soldiers whose personal courage, contributions, and sacrifices have helped preserve the freedom and advance the national security and homeland defense of the United States; and
extends its gratitude to the veterans, soldiers, families, and employers whose essential and constant support have enabled the Army Reserve to accomplish its vital missions and renews our Nation’s commitment in support of their noble efforts.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate.