[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 381 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 381
To designate September 9, 2025, as ``National World War II Italian
Campaign Remembrance Day'', and to recognize the sacrifices made by
American and Allied soldiers who liberated Italy from German occupation
during World War II.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 9, 2025
Mr. Moran (for himself, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Reed, Mr.
Scott of Florida, and Mr. Sheehy) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
To designate September 9, 2025, as ``National World War II Italian
Campaign Remembrance Day'', and to recognize the sacrifices made by
American and Allied soldiers who liberated Italy from German occupation
during World War II.
Whereas the Allied invasion of Sicily began on July 9, 1943, with the first-ever
large scale assault in the history of the United States Army;
Whereas, between July 9 and 10, 1943, the Allies executed the single largest
amphibious landing of troops to that point in World War II, bringing
more than 180,000 soldiers ashore on Sicily as part of Operation Husky;
Whereas the Cassibile Armistice was signed on September 3, 1943, and publicly
announced on September 8, 1943, marking the surrender of Italy to the
Allies and the withdrawal of Italy from the Axis powers;
Whereas September 9, 1943, marks the beginning of the liberation of mainland
Italy from German occupation, with American forces landing at Salerno
and along the Amalfi Coast for the launch of Operation Avalanche;
Whereas the campaign to reach Rome included many hard-fought engagements,
including the months-long struggle at Monte Cassino and the Battle of
Anzio;
Whereas, on June 4, 1944, the Fifth Army of the United States entered Rome,
becoming the first Allied force to liberate a European capital from
German occupation;
Whereas the United States Office of Strategic Services worked with Italian
partisan networks to support the April 1945 uprising and to lay the
groundwork for post-war democratic reconstruction in Italy;
Whereas, on April 29, 1945, the surrender at Caserta resulted in the
capitulation of nearly 1,000,000 Axis troops in the Italian theater, the
largest surrender of German forces at that point in the war;
Whereas, on April 30, 1945, the death of Adolf Hitler signaled the collapse of
Nazi leadership, occurring just 1 day after the German surrender in
Italy;
Whereas, on May 2, 1945, the unconditional surrender of German forces in Italy
took effect, liberating the Italian peninsula;
Whereas, on May 7, 1945, the overall German surrender in Europe took place;
Whereas the Italian campaign was a joint-forces effort by the United States
Army, the United States Army Air Forces, and the United States Navy;
Whereas the Italian campaign was one of the longest continual combat campaigns
undertaken by the Allies during World War II, lasting 602 days;
Whereas the Italian campaign was supported by one of the longest sustainment
operations conducted by American and Allied maintenance forces,
exemplified by the Ordnance Corps of the United States Army, which were
comprised of approximately 24,000 officers, 325,000 enlisted
individuals, and 262,000 civilians stationed in the United States and
overseas;
Whereas, for the majority of the Italian campaign, despite being on the
offensive, the Allies were outnumbered by the Germans;
Whereas the Italian campaign involved the participation of several Allied
states, with troops from the present-day countries of Australia, Brazil,
Canada, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, South
Africa, and the United Kingdom fighting alongside troops from the United
States;
Whereas Allied troops persevered through harsh terrain, severe weather, and
limited resources to achieve important and hard-fought victories
throughout the Italian campaign;
Whereas victory in the Italian campaign was achieved at great human cost, with
approximately 350,000 Allied casualties, including 150,000 American
casualties, of which more than 60,000 individuals were killed or missing
and 92,000 individuals were wounded, and over 426,000 Axis causalities;
Whereas more than 15,000 American servicemembers are commemorated in American
cemeteries in Italy, including 7,845 laid to rest and 3,095 commemorated
in the wall of remembrance at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in
Nettuno, and 4,392 laid to rest and 1,409 commemorated in the wall of
remembrance at the Florence American Cemetery in Tavarnuzze;
Whereas the advanced age of the few remaining veterans of the Italian Campaign,
the fact that less than 1 percent of American veterans of the Second
World War are still living, and the gradual fading of living memory make
it increasingly urgent to preserve and share the stories and sacrifices
of those veterans with future generations; and
Whereas the world owes a debt of gratitude to the members of the ``Greatest
Generation'' who assumed the task of freeing and restoring peace and
democracy to Italy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates September 9, 2025, as ``National World War
II Italian Campaign Remembrance Day'';
(2) honors the bravery, service, and sacrifice of American
and Allied forces during the campaign to liberate Italy;
(3) recognizes the importance of preserving key
battlefields, cemeteries, and historical sites across Italy,
along with the memory those sites embody within Italy, as
sacred places of remembrance;
(4) supports all commemorative and educational efforts that
work toward preserving this hard-fought memory for future
generations;
(5) encourages the people of the United States to observe
the day with appropriate ceremonies, education, and reflection;
and
(6) requests that the President issue a proclamation
calling on the people of the United States to commemorate the
Italian Campaign and express gratitude to Americans who gave
their lives and to all others who served to defend freedom in
the Italian campaign.
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