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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This resolution recognizes the United States' and Utah's participation in World War I
12 and urges the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to establish the Utah
13 World War I Centennial Commission.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 ▸ recognizes the centennial commemoration of World War I, which spanned from
17 July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918;
18 ▸ urges the Governor, through the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs
19 and in coordination with the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, to establish a
20 Utah World War I Centennial Commission, modeled after the United States World
21 War I Centennial Commission; and
22 ▸ urges the future commission to develop a statewide awareness campaign to
23 recognize the following:
24 • the history of the war, including the causes, the reason for entry into the war by
25 the United States, and the role of the United States military in the war;
26 • the impact of the war on geopolitics through today;
27 • the impact of the war on America's and Utah's society and culture -- including
28 science, the arts, and the humanities -- to encompass immigrants, minority
29 populations, and women;
30 • the technological changes the war brought to transportation, industry,
31 communication, and agriculture;
32 • the search for peace up to, during, and after the war;
33 • the World War I monuments and memorials scattered throughout the state; and
34 • those who served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
35 Special Clauses:
36 None
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38 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
39 WHEREAS, World War I broke out in Europe on July 28, 1914, quickly became
40 history's first worldwide war, and is the defining conflict of the modern era;
41 WHEREAS, total battlefield deaths or death from wounds for all nations was
42 enormous, tabulating some seven million people;
43 WHEREAS, the United States declared war on the German Empire on April 6, 1917, as
44 follows: "Whereas, the Imperial German Government has committed repeated acts of war
45 against the Government and the people of the United States of America; therefore, be it
46 resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
47 Congress assembled, that the state of war between the United States and the Imperial German
48 Government, which has thus been thrust upon the United States, is hereby formally declared;
49 and that the President be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to employ the entire naval
50 and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war
51 against the Imperial German Government; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination
52 all the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States";
53 WHEREAS, after the declaration, President Woodrow Wilson called for the
54 federalization and mobilization of National Guard troops into the regular army and a draft
55 ensued;
56 WHEREAS, more than four million men and women from the United States served in
57 uniform during World War I;
58 WHEREAS, the United States suffered 375,000 casualties, including 116,516 deaths;
59 WHEREAS, Utahns responded immediately to the call of duty, sending some 21,000 of
60 their sons and daughters into the armed forces of the United States, with 11,000 being drafted
61 and 10,000 volunteering;
62 WHEREAS, 655 Utahns lost their lives in the conflict, including 219 from battlefield
63 injuries, 32 from accidents, and 414 from disease and other health-related issues, and another
64 864 were wounded;
65 WHEREAS, Utah's population in 1917 was between 400,000 and 450,000, meaning
66 nearly 5% (4.94%) of the population served, and by comparison, 5% of Utah's 2016 population
67 of three million would amount to 150,000 Utahns in uniform today;
68 WHEREAS, 43 Utah servicemen received the Distinguished Service Cross of the Navy
69 Cross, the second highest military decoration for valor;
70 WHEREAS, at a time that some questioned the patriotism and loyalty of Utahns to the
71 United States of America, Utah's contribution on the battlefield and on the home front was
72 substantial, with about $81 million in war bonds and donations to the American Red Cross
73 recorded, averaging approximately $190 for every man, woman, and child living in Utah at the
74 time;
75 WHEREAS, Utahns viewed their participation and support of the war effort as a means
76 to help end the horrors of war once and for all, and to demonstrate their fidelity and loyalty to
77 the United States of America;
78 WHEREAS, Utah citizens volunteered countless hours in response to Governor Simon
79 Bamberger's call to serve as members of the Utah State Council of Defense and as members of
80 county and community councils of defense to help mobilize, coordinate, and facilitate the war
81 effort in the state;
82 WHEREAS, on March 24, 1917, Governor Bamberger, in anticipation of America's
83 entry into the war in Europe, called for volunteers to enlist in the Utah National Guard;
84 WHEREAS, on June 6, 1917, the U.S. War Department issued orders to the state of
85 Utah to reorganize Utah forces into a regiment of light field artillery, which became the First
86 Utah Field Artillery Regiment;
87 WHEREAS, on July 6, 1917, Adjutant General William G. Williams ordered that a
88 campsite be organized west of the Jordan Narrows, which stands as present-day Camp
89 Williams, for "intensive training in every duty that may be expected in an artillery regiment in
90 active service against an enemy";
91 WHEREAS, mobilization orders were issued by Adjutant General Williams, which
92 stated that "under the proclamation of the president, the National Guard of Utah is drafted into
93 federal service as of August 5, 1917";
94 WHEREAS, the First Utah Field Artillery Regiment was drafted into federal service
95 with a compliment of 350 to 400 men;
96 WHEREAS, the Utah Field Artillery Regiment reached Camp Kearney, Linda Vista,
97 California, on October 13, 1917, to train with the 40th Division, also known as the "Sunshine
98 Division";
99 WHEREAS, the Utah Field Artillery Regiment was designated as the 145th Field
100 Artillery Regiment of the 65th Artillery Brigade, and some members of the 145th Field
101 Artillery Regiment were called up into active combat divisions in the American Expeditionary
102 Force, seeing action along the front in the Argonne Forest, Chateau Thierry, St. Mihiel, and
103 Verdun;
104 WHEREAS, the 145th Field Artillery Regiment arrived in France in early September
105 1918 and was preparing for an assault on Metz when the armistice was signed on November
106 11, 1918;
107 WHEREAS, on January 21, 1919, after parades in Ogden and Logan and an address by
108 Governor Bamberger at the Utah State Agricultural College, the 145th Field Artillery Regiment
109 was officially mustered out of service;
110 WHEREAS, the 159th Field Hospital was organized as the Utah Field Hospital of the
111 4th Division, remained in France as part of occupation forces, and returned to Utah and was
112 mustered out of service on July 3, 1919;
113 WHEREAS, Governor Bamberger appointed B.H. Roberts to serve as Chaplain of the
114 145th Field Artillery Regiment; and
115 WHEREAS, Chaplain Roberts volunteered at age 60 to accompany the troops to
116 France, requiring a special act of Congress to receive his appointment:
117 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
118 Governor concurring therein, urges the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, in
119 coordination with the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, to organize a Utah World War I
120 Centennial Commission to accomplish the following purposes:
121 • to honor the more than 21,000 Utahns who served during World War I
122 and the 665 Utahns who gave their lives for our country;
123 • to educate all Utahns, particularly school children, about this period in
124 our history, including the causes, the reason for entry of the United
125 States into the war, and the role of the United States military;
126 • to educate all Utahns on the impacts of the war on geopolitics, society,
127 and culture in America and Utah, including science, the arts, and the
128 humanities;
129 • to educate all Utahns on the impacts of the war on immigrants, minority
130 populations, and women;
131 • to recognize the technological changes the war brought to transportation,
132 industry, communication, and agriculture;
133 • to recognize the search for peace up to, during, and beyond the war;
134 • to remember and recognize the citizens of Utah who served, and honor
135 this service and sacrifice by soldiers and their families;
136 • to identify and catalogue the more than 92 World War I memorials and
137 monuments statewide and add them to the national database developed
138 by the World War I Memorial Inventory Project; and
139 • to provide educational experiences designed to broaden and strengthen
140 the commemoration.
141 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Governor of
142 the state of Utah, the Director of the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, the
143 Veterans of Foreign Wars chapters in Utah, the American Legion chapters in Utah, the Utah
144 State Historical Society, and the members of Utah's congressional delegation.