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

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.