Bill Text: VA HJR448 | 2012 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Virginia House Joint Resolution 448 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Commending Fort Belvoir.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)

Status: (Passed) 2012-03-08 - House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ448ER) [HJR448 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2012-HJR448-Enrolled.html

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 448 Commending Fort Belvoir.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 2, 2012 Agreed to by the Senate, March 7, 2012

WHEREAS, for 100 years, Fort Belvoir, strategically located in Fairfax County, has been an integral base for the nation's military; and

WHEREAS, the Belvoir peninsula, which takes its name from the French word meaning "beautiful to see," was originally part of the land holdings of Colonel William Fairfax, who had established a plantation and home there in Colonial times named "Belvoir Manor"; and

WHEREAS, in 1912 the War Department took title to the Belvoir peninsula and established a temporary cantonment named Camp Belvoir at the southern end of the peninsula, which the United States Army Engineer School used for tactical and marksmanship training; and

WHEREAS, the outbreak of World War I necessitated the expansion of Camp Belvoir, resulting in the creation of Camp Andrew A. Humphreys, which later became known as Fort Humphreys when the installation was made permanent; President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the name of Fort Humphreys to Fort Belvoir in 1935; and

WHEREAS, following World War II, Fort Belvoir's mission slowly evolved from training of engineers to research and development, with the post's Engineer Research and Development Laboratories experimenting with various techniques for electrical power generation, camouflage, and mine detection; and

WHEREAS, Fort Belvoir also saw the addition of several organizations to the peninsula, including the DeWitt Army Hospital, the Defense Systems Management College, and the Defense Mapping School; and

WHEREAS, in 1988 the Engineer School and Center relocated to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, marking the end of the 70-year association between Fort Belvoir and the school; and

WHEREAS, Fort Belvoir has strived to preserve environmentally sensitive lands, including the creation of the 1,300-acre Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge and the 150-acre Jackson Miles Abbott Wetlands Refuge, and historically significant assets, including the Belvoir Mansion and the Quaker Meeting House; and

WHEREAS, Fort Belvoir has continued to play a valuable role in the nation's defense efforts, transforming into an essential administrative, intelligence, logistics, and operations support role for its 142 mission partners, including two Army major command headquarters; elements of 10 other Army major commands; 19 different agencies of the United States Department of the Army; eight elements of the United States Army Reserve and the Army National Guard; and 26 United States Department of Defense (DOD) agencies; and

WHEREAS, as it has continued to evolve, Fort Belvoir recently became home to the 8,400-employee National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; the state-of-the-art 120-bed Fort Belvoir Community Hospital serving more than 500,000 veterans, active-duty soldiers, and their families per year; the USO Warrior and Family Center; and is making plans to welcome the $200 million National Museum of the United States Army expected to open in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Fort Belvoir is Fairfax County's largest single federal government employer, currently serving 142,000 military members in the area; as the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission moves are complete, Fort Belvoir now houses more workers than the Pentagon; and

WHEREAS, from a training school for engineers to a testing ground for military projects to helping support United States Army and DOD commands, Fort Belvoir has continued to evolve over the past century to meet America's military needs and today serves as a major support installation for the nation's senior civilian and military leadership; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Fort Belvoir on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Colonel John J. Strycula, Garrison Commander at Fort Belvoir, as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations on Fort Belvoir's 100th anniversary and admiration and respect for its many contributions to the Commonwealth and pivotal role in the nation's defense strategy.