House Resolution 29 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 29 BY STANERSON and KEARNS A Resolution expressing gratitude to members of the 1 49th Iowa Veteran Volunteer Infantry for their 2 efforts to honor Iowans who served in the American 3 Civil War. 4 WHEREAS, members of the Sons of Union Veterans 5 of the Civil War formed the 49th Iowa Veteran 6 Volunteer Infantry (49th Iowa) in June 2009, for the 7 express purpose of establishing a highly trained and 8 historically accurate uniformed ceremonial honor 9 guard of military historians from across the state of 10 Iowa; and 11 WHEREAS, the 49th Iowa’s sworn missions include 12 the education of the public at large about the role 13 played by Iowans in the American Civil War (Civil War) 14 and the preservation and restoration of Iowa’s aging 15 Civil War monuments across this state and on distant 16 battlefields; and 17 WHEREAS, the National Commander of the Sons of 18 Veterans Reserve awarded the 49th Iowa the National 19 Meritorious Unit Citation for excellence in all 20 of their undertakings in the unit’s first year 21 of existence as a unit of the Sons of Veterans 22 Reserve; and 23 WHEREAS, the 49th Iowa was further honored by Iowa 24 Governors Chet Culver and Terry Branstad by being 25 named by each governor as “The Governor’s Own Iowa 26 Rifles”; and 27 WHEREAS, the 49th Iowa undertook to support 28 -1- LSB 2636YH (3) 86 aw/rj 1/ 3
H.R. 29 historic preservation efforts of entities like the Iowa 1 State Historical Society by providing thousands of 2 hours of volunteer services to the Iowa Battle Flags 3 Project; and 4 WHEREAS, members of the 49th Iowa, immediately 5 upon learning of the deplorably decrepit state of 6 the largest Iowa monument at the Vicksburg National 7 Military Park, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, set about 8 working with members of the Iowa General Assembly in 9 the 2013 Legislative Session to provide bipartisan 10 funding to fully restore the Iowa State Memorial at the 11 military park, as a part of House File 2465 (2013); and 12 WHEREAS, the 49th Iowa has consistently and 13 repeatedly supported veterans of this state and 14 nation by participating in a wide array of ceremonies 15 throughout the State of Iowa and accompanied 16 Iowa’s governor as the official honor guard for the 17 rededication of the Iowa State Memorial at Vicksburg 18 National Military Park; and 19 WHEREAS, the 49th Iowa has replaced dozens of 20 gravestones on veterans’ graves throughout the Midwest 21 and has performed uniformed full military honors 22 ceremonies in strict compliance with the military 23 regulations of the United States for veterans who had 24 in some cases lain in unmarked and unhonored graves for 25 over 100 years; and 26 WHEREAS, the 49th Iowa, after appearing at the 27 annual Lincoln’s Tomb Observances in Springfield, 28 Illinois, in April of every year since 2009, was 29 afforded, in 2013, the singular honor of being 30 -2- LSB 2636YH (3) 86 aw/rj 2/ 3
H.R. 29 designated as the Tomb Guard at Lincoln’s Tomb; NOW 1 THEREFORE, 2 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That 3 the House of Representatives expresses its sincere 4 gratitude to members of the 49th Iowa Veteran Volunteer 5 Infantry for their efforts to honor Iowans who served 6 in the American Civil War. 7 -3- LSB 2636YH (3) 86 aw/rj 3/ 3