H.J.R. 13

1

RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESSIONAL
2 NAME CHANGE OF HILL AIR FORCE BASE
3 2006 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: LaVar Christensen
6 Senate Sponsor: ____________
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges Congress to change the name of Hill Air
11 Force Base to "Reagan Hill Air Force Base."
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . urges the United States Congress to change the name of Hill Air Force Base to
15 "Reagan Hill Air Force Base" in recognition of former President Ronald Reagan's
16 service as the 40th President of the United States and his contributions to ending the
17 Cold War.
18 Special Clauses:
19 None
20
21 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
22 WHEREAS, the people of Utah desire to establish an appropriate and lasting tribute to
23 the memory of Ronald Reagan, who is esteemed as one of America's greatest modern
24 Presidents;
25 WHEREAS, during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, the United States of America
26 adopted a national policy of "peace through strength," which resulted in a significant increase
27 in the military defense and national security of our country;

28 WHEREAS, 9,387 graves at the American Cemetery at Normandy, France, and the
29 1,557 soldiers still listed as missing, reverently remind us of the heroic human sacrifice in
30 defense of liberty offered by young American soldiers in World War II as well as Reagan's
31 moving promise on the 40th anniversary of D Day when he paid tribute to the "Boys of Point
32 DuHoc";
33 WHEREAS, those heroic rangers took the cliffs, freed a continent, and helped end a
34 war by refusing to give up when enemy gun fire rained down upon them on the morning of the
35 6th of June, 1944;
36 WHEREAS, 225 rangers arrived on the shores of Omaha Beach but after a day of
37 fighting, only 90 could still bear arms;
38 WHEREAS, their efforts are symbolic of all our American Veterans and Reagan
39 promised that, "We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be
40 prepared, so we may always be free";
41 WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan continually stressed that, "Our military strength is a
42 prerequisite to peace, but let it be clear, we maintain this strength in the hope that it will never
43 be used";
44 WHEREAS, the beginning of the 21st century was marked by a sudden terrorist attack
45 on our homeland that requires our nation's firm resolve and continued vigilance;
46 WHEREAS, that resolve has, at times, taken us to foreign lands and when faced with
47 challenges to the exercise of our military strength in defense of freedom, we remember
48 Reagan's solemn declaration that, "There is a profound moral difference between the use of
49 force for liberation and the use of force for conquest";
50 WHEREAS, the State of Utah is proud to be the home of Hill Air Force Base, which
51 was established by Congress in 1939 and has been a vital contributor to our Nation's military
52 through times of war and peace;
53 WHEREAS, Hill Air Force Base was originally named by Congress "Hill Field" in
54 honor of Major Ployer Peter Hill, Chief of the Flying Branch of the Air Corps Material
55 Division at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio;
56 WHEREAS, Major Hill died due to a crash of an experimental aircraft at Wright Field
57 in Ohio;
58 WHEREAS, since its establishment in 1939, Hill Air Force Base has continually

59 increased its capabilities and kept pace with the demands placed upon it;
60 WHEREAS, during World War II, Hill Field was a vital maintenance and supply base,
61 with around-the-clock operations geared to supporting the war effort, requiring as many as
62 22,000 military and civilian personnel;
63 WHEREAS, these dedicated men and women rehabilitated and returned thousands of
64 aircraft to combat;
65 WHEREAS, when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, Hill Air Force Base was
66 assigned a major share of the country's war effort;
67 WHEREAS, storage and renovation of active Air Force inventory was the responsibility
68 of Hill Air Force Base;
69 WHEREAS, Hill Air Force Base supported the war in Southeast Asia by direct air lifts
70 of hundreds of tons of ammunition, and by 1972, Hill Air Force Base was home to the
71 production of the Short-Range Attack Missile;
72 WHEREAS, during 1980, Hill Air Force Base had the busiest single runway of any
73 airfield in the free world with air field traffic totaling 145,243 take offs and landings;
74 WHEREAS, during the 1980's, Hill Air Force Base was responsible for repairing
75 ground launch cruise missiles;
76 WHEREAS, during Operation Deseret Storm in 1991, Hill Air Force Base personnel at
77 home and abroad provided critical support;
78 WHEREAS, the people of Utah respect the history of Hill Air Force Base, including the
79 name originally selected by Congress;
80 WHEREAS, the people of Utah also desire to pay tribute to the legacy of Ronald
81 Reagan and, thus, believe that the appropriate tribute to his memory in our state would be to
82 add his name to Utah's prominent military base;
83 WHEREAS, the renaming of Hill Air Force Base to include the name of Ronald
84 Reagan, 40th President of the United States, would both serve as a fitting tribute by the people
85 of Utah to our 40th President and symbolize our country's commitment to peace through
86 strength and the mission of the military activities in Utah, which includes the most heavily
87 deployed National Guard of any state in America in the current military conflict in Iraq and
88 elsewhere; and
89 WHEREAS, any change in the name of Air Force bases must be approved by the

90 United States Congress:
91 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
92 requests and strongly urges the United States Congress to change the name of Hill Air Force
93 Base to "Reagan Hill Air Force Base" in recognition of Ronald Reagan's contributions to the
94 ending of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union.
95 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Majority
96 Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,
97 the United States Air Force, Hill Air Force Base, and to the members of Utah's congressional
98 delegation.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-5-06 2:15 PM

Based on a limited legal review, this legislation has not been determined to have a high
probability of being held unconstitutional.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel