[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 17 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 17

Honoring the life and legacy of Frederick William Augustus von Steuben 
   and recognizing his contributions on the 275th anniversary of his 
                                 birth.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2005

  Mr. Lugar (for himself, Mr. Hagel, and Ms. Collins) introduced the 
 following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the life and legacy of Frederick William Augustus von Steuben 
   and recognizing his contributions on the 275th anniversary of his 
                                 birth.

Whereas Frederick William Augustus von Steuben, popularly known as Baron von 
        Steuben, was born on September 17, 1730, in Magdeburg, Prussia;
Whereas von Steuben, an experienced soldier in the Prussian army, offered his 
        services to General George Washington, stating ``the object of my 
        greatest ambition is to render the country all the service in my power, 
        and to deserve the title of a citizen of America by fighting for the 
        cause of your liberty'';
Whereas von Steuben joined General George Washington at Valley Forge on February 
        23, 1778, where ``he gave military training and discipline to the 
        citizen soldiers who achieved the independence of the United States'';
Whereas, on May 5, 1778, the Continental Congress appointed von Steuben to the 
        office of Inspector General of the Army, with the rank of major general;
Whereas, as Inspector General, von Steuben wrote ``Regulations for the Order and 
        Discipline of the Troops of the United States'' (1779), known as the 
        ``Blue Book'', which served as the basis for Army regulations for 30 
        years;
Whereas a report of a committee of the Continental Congress entered in the 
        Journal of the Continental Congress on December 30, 1782, recognized 
        that von Steuben ``has rendered very important and substantial services, 
        by introducing into the army a regular formation and exact discipline, 
        and by establishing a spirit of order and economy in the interior 
        administration of the regiments; which, besides other advantages, have 
        been productive of immense savings to the United States; that in the 
        commands in which he has been employed, he has upon all occasions 
        conducted himself like a brave and experienced officer'';
Whereas, on December 23, 1783, his Commander in Chief, General George 
        Washington, in his last letter before laying down his command, wrote to 
        von Steuben, ``I wish, to make use, of this last Moment of my public 
        Life, to Signify in the strongest terms, my entire Approbation of your 
        Conduct, and to express my Sense of the Obligations the public is under 
        to you for your faithful, and Meritorious Services'';
Whereas in accepting Inspector General von Steuben's resignation on April 15, 
        1784, the Continental Congress resolved, ``That the thanks of the United 
        States in Congress assembled, be given to Baron Steuben, for the great 
        zeal and abilities he has discovered in the discharge of the several 
        duties of his office; that a gold hilted sword be presented to him, as a 
        mark of the high sense Congress entertained of his character and 
        services'';
Whereas von Steuben's services were indispensable to the achievement of American 
        independence, after which he became an American citizen;
Whereas ``for service in the Revolution'', the State of New York, on June 27, 
        1786, granted von Steuben 16,000 acres, upon which he settled, part of 
        which was dedicated on September 12, 1931, by Governor Franklin D. 
        Roosevelt as Steuben State Memorial Park;
Whereas, in honor of his contribution to the Armed Forces of the United States, 
        the United States Navy commissioned a troop transport, the USS Von 
        Steuben, on June 9, 1917, and commissioned one of the first nuclear 
        powered ballistic missile submarines, the USS Von Steuben (SSBN 632), on 
        September 30, 1964;
Whereas President William Howard Taft, at the dedication of the monument to von 
        Steuben in Lafayette Park, Washington, DC, on December 7, 1910, paid 
        tribute to the contributions of German Americans who ``played so 
        prominent a part in the great growth and development of our country'';
Whereas Congress authorized that a duplicate monument be presented as a gift by 
        the people of the United States, and that during the dedication on 
        September 2, 1911, in Potsdam, Germany, the American envoy, Congressman 
        Richard Bartholdt, presented that statue as ``a token of the sincere 
        friendship of the American Government and people for . . . the people of 
        Germany'';
Whereas the legacy of von Steuben in promoting integrity, efficiency, training, 
        discipline and accountability in the United States military has earned 
        him the title ``Father of the Inspector General System'' and served as a 
        basis for the system of inspectors general established by Congress for 
        agencies of the United States Government; and
Whereas von Steuben remains an enduring symbol of German-American friendship: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress, on behalf of 
the American people, honors the life and legacy of Frederick William 
Augustus von Steuben and recognizes his contributions on the 275th 
anniversary of his birth.
                                 <all>