House Resolution 164 - Introduced PAG LIN 1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. ___ 1 2 BY WHITAKER, WISE, HEATON, GREINER, GASKILL, SANDS, 1 3 COHOON, SWAIM, DE BOEF, MILLER, THOMAS, HUTTER, 1 4 D. TAYLOR, WATTS, BAUDLER, SHOMSHOR, REASONER, 1 5 DOLECHECK, KURTENBACH, DANDEKAR, BOAL, HEDDENS, 1 6 GRANZOW, STRUYK, LUKAN, REICHERT, HUSEMAN, HUNTER, 1 7 PETTENGILL, TYMESON, BERRY, EICHHORN, KRESSIG, 1 8 DAVITT, MURPHY, D. OLSON, BUKTA, PETERSEN, JACOBY, 1 9 and TJEPKES 1 10 A Resolution to honor the 224th Combat Engineer Battalion 1 11 of the Iowa National Guard for its service and 1 12 sacrifice in the Iraq War. 1 13 WHEREAS, the 224th Combat Engineer Battalion of the 1 14 Iowa National Guard is based in Fairfield and has 1 15 units in Burlington, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant, and 1 16 Ottumwa; and 1 17 WHEREAS, about 500 soldiers of the 224th have 1 18 returned to Iowa after a year on duty in Iraq; and 1 19 WHEREAS, to date, that contingent of the 224th is 1 20 the largest Iowa group which has returned from Iraq; 1 21 and 1 22 WHEREAS, the work of the 224th was long, hard, and 1 23 dangerous, including finding and disarming the so= 1 24 called "improvised explosive devices" while conducting 1 25 combat operations in support of the 1st Marine 1 26 Division, 2nd Marine Division, and other Army and 1 27 Marine organizations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq; 1 28 and 1 29 WHEREAS, that deadly work resulted in locating over 1 30 500 of these deadly devices, saving countless lives, 2 1 and earned the 224th the respect and gratitude of 2 2 soldiers throughout Iraq; and 2 3 WHEREAS, during that service four soldiers of the 2 4 224th were killed and 37 soldiers were recognized with 2 5 Purple Heart Medals; and 2 6 WHEREAS, the 224th Combat Engineer Battalion 2 7 concluded combat operations in the Al Anbar province 2 8 of Iraq on December 2, 2005, after having supported 2 9 the I Marine Expeditionary Force, II Marine 2 10 Expeditionary Force, 1st Marine Division, 2nd Marine 2 11 Division, the United States Marine Corps Regimental 2 12 Combat Teams 1, 2, 7, and 8, the 11th and 13th Marine 2 13 Expeditionary Units, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team 2nd 2 14 Infantry Division, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team 28th 2 15 Infantry Division, the 155th Brigade Combat Team, and 2 16 over 35 maneuver battalions and task forces during 2 17 2005; and 2 18 WHEREAS, soldiers of the 224th Combat Engineer 2 19 Battalion cleared over 500 improvised explosive 2 20 devices from over 16,000 kilometers of roadways 2 21 between March 15 and November 29, 2005; and 2 22 WHEREAS, these explosive devices ranged in size 2 23 from a aurface=laid 122 millimeter round up to the 2 24 size of a refrigerator, buried beneath the surface of 2 25 a road; and 2 26 WHEREAS, Company C of Mount Pleasant and Keokuk 2 27 cleared most of the distance, operating in support of 2 28 the United States Marine Corps' Regimental Combat 2 29 Teams 1, 2, 7, and 8 in Fallujah, Hit, Hadithah, Al 2 30 Qaim, Husaybah, Ar Rutbah, and other areas in the 3 1 western areas of the province, spending many weeks 3 2 working out of base camps and forward operating bases 3 3 in these areas of operation; and 3 4 WHEREAS, Companies A and B of Burlington and 3 5 Ottumwa, respectively, conducted route clearance 3 6 operations primarily in Ar Ramadi, the provincial 3 7 capitol of Iraq. The convoy security escort teams, 3 8 which are comprised of soldiers and Marines of Company 3 9 A, Company B, Battery B 2nd Battalion 11th Marines 3 10 (United States Marine Corps), and Company C 4th Tank 3 11 Battalion (United States Marine Corps), traveled over 3 12 900,000 miles throughout the country of Iraq, 3 13 providing security to combat support and combat 3 14 service support units, as well as civilian 3 15 contractors, as they delivered the sustainment items 3 16 to the camps and forward operating bases throughout 3 17 Iraq; and 3 18 WHEREAS, the battalion was headquartered at Camp 3 19 Ramadi, a former Iraqi Republican Guard installation 3 20 on the western outskirts of Ar Ramadi, where they were 3 21 engaged by indirect fire over 219 times between March 3 22 1, 2005, and November 27, 2005; NOW THEREFORE, 3 23 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 3 24 That the House of Representatives thanks the soldiers 3 25 of the 224th Combat Engineer Battalion of the Iowa 3 26 National Guard for their service in Iraq; and 3 27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of 3 28 Representatives honors the memory of Sergeant Casey 3 29 Byers, Sergeant Seth Garceau, Second Lieutenant 3 30 Richard B. "Brian" Gienau, and Specialist John W. 4 1 Miller, who gave their lives in service to their 4 2 country and to the cause of freedom. 4 3 LSB 6663HH 81 4 4 jr:nh/gg/14 1