WHEREAS, On April 6, 1917, the Congress of the United States, at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson, declared war on the German Empire after their repeated depredations against civilian shipping and pursuance of total war in Europe; and

WHEREAS, The state of Washington played a major role between 1917 and 1918 in this conflict to preserve democracy and check the advance of German imperialism; and

WHEREAS, Before the United States entered the war in 1917, a group of volunteers started a training camp at American Lake to encourage citizen readiness for the war in Europe. This led to the construction in 1917 of Tacoma's Camp Lewis which became the Army's major West Coast training facility, housing the 91st or "Wild West" Division which bore a green fir tree insignia on their uniforms; and

WHEREAS, In July 1918, 27,000 soldiers from the 91st Division stationed at Camp Lewis sailed for Europe where they performed exceptionally well in the Meuse-Argonne offensive that was launched September 25th and broke through the German lines; and

WHEREAS, On October 4th the 91st Division stood down and 12 days later fought in Belgium in the Battle of Flanders, one of the final battles of the war and had an outstanding record, capturing 2,300 German prisoners, 400 machine guns, and a large number of field guns and tanks; and

WHEREAS, The 91st Division suffered losses of 1,100 killed in action or missing while five division soldiers earning America's highest honor, the Medal of Honor, including a University of Washington graduate and Seattle resident, First Lieutenant Deming Bronson (1894-1957), who earned the Medal of Honor for leading several attacks while seriously wounded; and

WHEREAS, The Washington National Guard had just returned home from guarding the Mexican border when in March 1917, Washington Governor Ernest Lister (1870-1919) ordered units mobilized. The 2nd Washington Infantry Regiment was drafted into federal service on August 5, 1917, and folded into the 41st Division along with National Guard units from Montana, Idaho, and Oregon. The 41st Division served as a replacement, training, and depot unit, and is currently the oldest continuously serving infantry division in the Regular Army having seen continuous service since WWI; and

WHEREAS, The 146th Field Artillery was formed and after leaving Camp Murray in 1918, saw action near Chateau Thierry, the Aisne-Marne Operation, Saint Mihiel, and the Meusse-Argonne Operation. The 146th Field Artillery continues today in the Washington Army National Guard, most recently seeing combat operations in Iraq in 2008-2009; and

WHEREAS, The first combat casualties sustained by Washington National Guard members occurred near Chateau Thierry on July 11, 1918, where the 146th Field Artillery engaged the enemy; and

WHEREAS, William John "Wee" Coyle, a star Quarterback at the University of Washington from 1904-1908, became an officer in the 91st Division and won a medal for bravery leading a night attack against German lines. Later, he was elected to the state Senate and rose to become Lieutenant Governor from 1921-1925; and

WHEREAS, Monrad C. Wallgren from Everett was a proud citizen-soldier in the Washington National Guard, served in World War I and became a United States Representative, a United States Senator, and the 13th Governor of Washington state; and

WHEREAS, Deming Bronson was a member of the 91st Division during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. Bronson was hit by a grenade blast but continued to hold his position and helped capture an enemy trench, during which he was shot in the arm. The next day he helped lead an attack on a French village, where he was hit a third time. Later recovering, he became the only Washington resident to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War I; and

WHEREAS, Washington state timber producers supplied wood for ships, barracks, buildings, and airplanes and Washington farmers and food packers produced wheat for flour and packaged food such as salmon to feed the troops; and

WHEREAS, Civilians of Washington state made significant changes on the homefront to support the war effort. Led by the United States Food Administration's efforts to conserve resources, families planted victory gardens which led to more home food production and conservation. They consumed less meat, wheat, and sugar foodstuffs and women joined the workforce while everyone from school children to the elderly joined the "Knitting for Victory" campaigns to produce garments to send to soldiers and civilians in Europe; and

WHEREAS, The patriotic sacrifices of Washington state men and women are commemorated through World War I monuments and memorials across the state from the Boulevard of Remembrance at Fort Lewis, a series of Oak Trees eventually numbering nearly 500 planted in 1928 by the Tacoma Garden Club along the Pacific Avenue corridor of Fort Lewis to honor the lives lost in the conflict, to the Winged Victory monument on the Capitol Campus dedicated in 1938, to Hill's Stonehenge Memorial in Klickitat County, the nation's first WWI memorial dedicated in 1918; and

WHEREAS, Washington state will be home to many commemorations throughout 2018 to honor the Centennial of WWI and the 100th Anniversary of the Observance of Armistice Day including a Ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda and a weekend long Armistice Day Centennial Celebration which will begin at the eleventh hour of the 11th day of November, with a ceremonial ringing of bells and an exhibit at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle entitled "WWI America; and the Region's Community Commemoration of the Great War";

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate encourage all residents of the state of Washington to reflect upon the service and sacrifice of World War I veterans and their families in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of cessation of hostilities and as appropriate participate in any of the numerous events throughout the year.