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