Whereas it has been 150 years since March 17, 1861, when the parliament of a united Italy proclaimed Victor Emmanuel II their king;

Whereas the story of the Italian Risorgimento, in particular Giuseppe Garibaldi’s heroic adventures, have inspired generations of Americans;

Whereas, between 1880 to 1920, an estimated 4,000,000 Italian immigrants arrived in the United States to settle and help build our Nation;

Whereas today there are almost 18,000,000 Americans of Italian ancestry whose contributions to our society are diverse and profound;

Whereas Italy has been a loyal NATO ally and a major strategic partner for over 60 years;

Whereas Italian-Americans have made enormous contributions to the United States; and

Whereas Italy remains a steadfast partner in the defense of a shared vision of fundamental human rights and the preservation of democratic ideals: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate–

(1) recognizes the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the modern state of Italy;

(2) celebrates the ties of kinship and shared democratic values that unite the two countries across the Atlantic;

(3) honors the service and sacrifice of Italy’s soldiers, sailors, and airmen alongside United States forces most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya; and