1.1A house resolution
1.2commending Minnesotans for their contributions in World War II.
1.3WHEREAS, Minnesota servicemen and service women played a significant role in the
1.4critical early stages of World War II. Minnesota Naval Reservists from St. Paul, manning guns on
1.5the USS Ward, sank a Japanese submarine outside Pearl Harbor before the main Japanese attack
1.6on December 7, 1941. Brainerd's Company A of the 194th Tank Battalion fired the first American
1.7tank shots of the war opposing the Japanese invasion of Luzon in December of 1941. The
1.8National Guard 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division, comprised mostly of men from Minnesota,
1.9Iowa, and the Dakotas, was the first American division to embark for Europe in January 1942.
1.10The 34th Division's 175th Field Artillery Battalion fired the first American ground force shots at
1.11the German Army near Mdjez el Bab in Tunisia in November 1942; and
1.12WHEREAS, more than 326,000 Minnesota men and women served in the armed forces of
1.13the United States during World War II, and over 6,000 died while in service; and
1.14WHEREAS, ten Minnesotans were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; and
1.15WHEREAS, Minnesota workers and corporations supported the war effort on the
1.16homefront. The Iron Range supplied the raw material to build much of the equipment necessary
1.17to fight the war. In the Twin Cities, B-24 bombers were modified and troop transport gliders
1.18were built. The United States Navy contracted with Cargill to build 18 refueling ships and four
1.19towboats in four years. Munsingwear made military garments, Crown Iron Works made portable
1.20bridges and pontoons, Andersen Corporation made prefab huts, Honeywell made precision
1.21instruments like gunsights, Northern Pump Company built a new plant in three months and with
1.227,000 employees became the largest supplier of munitions for the Navy, and Spam canned meat
2.1served as a staple for both soldiers and war refugees worldwide. The war provided increased
2.2opportunities for African-American and Native American Minnesotans to more fully participate
2.3in the workforce and contribute to the effort; and
2.4WHEREAS, women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers, assuming
2.5responsibilities not widely available to them before - notably in defense manufacturing,
2.6shipbuilding, mining, and public works. In addition to the one-third of the state's adult female
2.7population who were employed during the war, women also found other important ways to assist
2.8the war effort. Among many volunteer activities, women offered their services to the Red Cross
2.9and the Office of Civilian Defense, selling war bonds and working on farms to replace their
2.10husbands and the hired workers who had gone to fight; and
2.11WHEREAS, veterans returned from war to join forces with those working on the homefront
2.12to rebuild our own civil society and help the rest of the world recover after the war. Agriculture
2.13evolved from an individual occupation into a major industry after World War II with important
2.14technological advancements to increase productivity. As veterans took advantage of the GI bill,
2.15suburban development intensified due to new demand for housing. Minnesota provided strong
2.16leadership in the advancement of equal human and civil rights, as well as becoming a center of
2.17technology and innovation with the creation of such companies as United Research Associates
2.18(Sperry Rand), Control Data, Cray Research, Medtronic, and 3M; and
2.19WHEREAS, Minnesotans continue to honor the contributions of servicemen and service
2.20women. Through over 20 years of monthly public programs and outreach efforts by the Dr.
2.21Harold C. Deutsch World War II History Round Table; the Memorial Rifle Squad, which has
2.22provided ceremonial honors at 51,000 burials over 29 years, and members of all five squads travel
2.23a total of 3,300 miles every week to get to the Fort Snelling National Cemetery; the Minnesota
2.24Historical Society's tribute to the Greatest Generation; the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Women
2.25Veterans of Minnesota organizations; and many other service and volunteer organizations; and
2.26WHEREAS, four World War II veterans, Harold Stassen, Orville Freeman, Karl Rolvaag,
2.27and Albert Quie, served as Minnesota Governors, and over 130 World War II veterans went on to
2.28serve in the Minnesota Legislature, including currently-serving Rep. Bernard "Bernie" Lieder;
2.29NOW, THEREFORE,
2.30BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota that it
2.31recognizes the many contributions of veterans of World War II and extends its gratitude for
2.32their sacrifices.
3.1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives is
3.2directed to prepare an enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by his signature and
3.3that of the Speaker, and transmit it to the Dr. Harold C. Deutsch World War II History Round
3.4Table and the Minnesota Historical Society.