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To recognize the outstanding service of the 65th | 1 |
Infantry Regiment from Puerto Rico and to urge the | 2 |
award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the | 3 |
Regiment. | 4 |
WHEREAS, In 1898, the United States acquired Puerto Rico in | 5 |
the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War and, by | 6 |
the following year, Congress had authorized raising a unit of | 7 |
volunteer soldiers in the newly acquired territory; and | 8 |
WHEREAS, In June 1920, the unit was designated as the "65th | 9 |
Infantry Regiment, United States Army," and it would serve as the | 10 |
United States military's last segregated unit composed of Hispanic | 11 |
soldiers; and | 12 |
WHEREAS, The Regiment participated in World War I, World War | 13 |
II, and the Korean War; and | 14 |
WHEREAS, During the Korean War, soldiers in the Regiment | 15 |
earned ten distinguished service crosses, two hundred fifty-six | 16 |
silver stars, six hundred six bronze stars, and two thousand seven | 17 |
hundred seventy-seven Purple Hearts; and | 18 |
WHEREAS, On April 25, 2013, H.R. 1726 was introduced in the | 19 |
United States House of Representatives to award a Congressional | 20 |
Gold Medal to the Regiment; and | 21 |
WHEREAS, On June 18, 2013, S. 1174 was introduced in the | 22 |
United States Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the | 23 |
Regiment; and | 24 |
WHEREAS, The Congressional Gold Medal is among the highest | 25 |
civilian awards in the United States and is awarded to persons | 26 |
"who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American | 27 |
history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major | 28 |
achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement"; | 29 |
and | 30 |
WHEREAS, Veterans of the Regiment should receive recognition | 31 |
for selflessly giving their time, effort, and lives; and | 32 |
WHEREAS, Ohio is home to more than eleven thousand Hispanic | 33 |
veterans; now therefore be it | 34 |
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly recognizes the | 35 |
outstanding service of the 65th Infantry Regiment; and be it | 36 |
further | 37 |
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly urges the Ohio | 38 |
Congressional delegation to acknowledge the outstanding service of | 39 |
the 65th Infantry Regiment and to highlight the Regiment's story | 40 |
by supporting H.R. 1726 and S. 1174; and be it further | 41 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly | 42 |
authenticated copies of this resolution to the members of the Ohio | 43 |
Congressional delegation and to the news media of Ohio. | 44 |