IN SCR0030

The Indiana General Assembly honors the Indiana members of the First Special Service Force, a joint World War II American-Canadian commando unit officially formed on July 20, 1942, at Fort Harrison.

The unit received training in stealth tactics, hand-to-hand combat, demolition methods, parachuting, and rock-climbing before conducting strategic operations in Italy, Anzio, and France from 1943 through 1944, disbanding in December 1944.

The force, known as the "Devil's Brigade," fought for 99 days without relief at Anzio, captured key objectives including Monte la Difensa and Monte la Remetanea in Italian mountains, secured seven bridges during the capture of Rome, and were among the first Allied units to enter the city.

Approximately 92 of the 1,800 brigade volunteers were from Indiana, and on February 3, 2015, the entire unit was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States' highest award for distinguished achievement.

The Secretary of the Senate is directed to transmit copies of the resolution to five surviving Indiana members (Marion Adams, Robert George, Russell Gordon, Joseph Sharp, and Dominic Trimboli) and to the families of fallen Indiana members of the unit.