Bill Text: VA SJR294 | 2017 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Naval Station Norfolk.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-01-27 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ294ER) [SJR294 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2017-SJR294-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, forged in the crucible of the nation's founding, the City of Norfolk is fiercely proud of its long and historic affiliation with the United States Navy and of its leading role in national defense through Norfolk Naval Station, which has served the local community and the military for 100 years; and
WHEREAS, Norfolk has been home to such early naval heroes as Captain Stephen Decatur and David Farragut, the Navy's first admiral; famous ships have sailed and steamed on the Elizabeth River, including USS Chesapeake, one of the original six wooden frigates commissioned by Congress in 1794 that formed the core of the first United States Navy; the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, the revolutionary ironclad vessels of the Civil War; the ships of the Great White Fleet that circumnavigated the globe in 1907; and the ships that carried Eugene Ely and his Hudson aircraft that made Norfolk the birthplace of naval aviation in 1910; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of its large, ice-free harbor and strategic geographic location, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill in 1917 that established a United States Naval Base on 474 acres of land at Sewells Point that had been the location for the 1907 Jamestown Exposition held in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Virginia colony's founding; originally known as Naval Operating Base Hampton Roads, the name of the installation was changed to Naval Station Norfolk in 1953; and
WHEREAS, over the years the base has grown in both size and importance, and now encompasses 4,300 acres with 64 ships and 18 aircraft squadrons, more than 100,000 active duty and civilian personnel, and the headquarters of United States Joint Forces Command, United States Fleet Forces Command, United States Marine Corps Forces Command, United States Air Force Air Combat Command, and United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, as well as the location of the North American headquarters for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and
WHEREAS, active duty and retired Naval personnel and their families live throughout the region and make essential contributions to the local quality of life through their engagement in community service work across an extensive array of organizations; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Naval Station Norfolk, an essential part of the Norfolk community and the United States Navy; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the City of Norfolk and the United States Navy as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude and appreciation for the numerous and important contributions Naval Station Norfolk has made and continues to make in the region and in defense of the nation.
